Masked Man
by alexanderhamifan02
Summary: Hiro is finally in college and Tadashi knows everything will be alright from here on in. But since when were there so many people out for Hiro's brain and talents? And what will they do to get it?
1. Chapter 1

**just a little somethin-somethin :)**

* * *

Tadashi was bursting with pride at his little brother. He had just presented his microbots at SFIT and Robert Callaghan had granted him acceptance to the campus. Tadashi remembered the feeling of joy that filled his heart when Robert had winked at him, crouched down to Hiro's level, and handed him the envelope. Hiro's eyes widened, he death gripped the envelope, and jumped up and down excitedly, hugging Tadashi around the neck. Tadashi could've melted on the spot. Finally! If he had known it would be this easy to wake Hiro up and show him the brighter things in life, he would've done it ages ago. He had underestimated Hiro; he was more mature than he thought. Nevertheless, he couldn't wait to tell the others. He couldn't wait to celebrate. He couldn't wait for school to start.

He just couldn't wait anymore.

Hiro was one step ahead of him, dragging him along to the front and to the group of friends conversing with the Hamada's aunt. They got the message when they each eyed the paper Hiro was fisting and they all cheered in triumph. He got in!

"Hiro, we're so proud!" Honey Lemon beamed at him. Fred, Wasabi, and Gogo nodded in approval from behind, grins on their faces.

"Congrats, little man."

"Awesome!"

"Way cool, dude."

"HIRO! You did it!" Cass screamed at him, engulfing him in one of her trademark bone-crushing hugs. He accepted it as quickly as it came, hyperventilating in pure excitement.

"Let's go to the cafe to celebrate!" Tadashi suggested. They all agreed, rushing out of the door and toward Cass's car. Halfway down the steps, Robert called Hiro from the showcase doors.

"Hiro?"

Hiro hummed and turned on a dime, tilting his head at the professor.

"You left part of your invention on the stage. It's required that you take our equipment home, you know. After all, you must have worked so hard on it."

"Right! Sorry, sir," Hiro said nervously, skipping back up the steps. Tadashi shrugged but grinned, jogging to catch up with his friends. When he did catch up, he turned back just in time to see Callaghan shutting the door behind Hiro, a strange look on his face. He didn't know what it was about said expression, but it chilled him to his core for an odd reason. Something about it didn't set right with Tadashi. Was something bothering Robert so much that he felt uncomfortable around Tadashi's little brother?

"Hey, guys. Let's wait for Hiro."

The group hadn't heard him, continuing to walk and laugh amid conversation. Tadashi rolled his eyes.

"Guys-"

 _RING RING_

Tadashi jumped at the loud alarm, turning around again and stumbling back at what he saw.

The windows of the showcase glowed orange, and it didn't take a genius to tell that the building was on fire. People rushed down the steps, classmates and teachers of his, screaming in horror and wrenching to get away from the heat. Something clicked inside of Tadashi, and he found himself running as fast as his legs could carry him towards the burning building. His friends screamed after him, but he paid no mind.

An older woman stumbled to her knees, coughing horrendously. Tadashi rushed to her aide, though more to ask a very important question.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I-I don't know!" the woman cried. "It was so sudden. It all just happened so fast!"

"Are the people still in there? A young boy with black hair and a blue jacket?"

"Yes," the woman croaked, and the simple response was enough to send Tadashi flying towards the steps of the building.

"DUDE!"

Tadashi was suddenly being dragged back down the stairs by none other than Wasabi and his strong arms. Tadashi fought back as much as he could, but it was no use. He was on the ground now, Wasabi crouching down in concern and grabbing Tadashi by the shoulders.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What?! HIRO IS STILL IN THERE, WASABI!" Tadashi roared at the man struggling to rise to his feet.

"Seriously?!" Wasabi choked out. "I-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Tadashi and Wasabi's heads snapped up at the familiar voice coming from the building. Hiro was fighting to get a man coated in black to get off of him, stuck between the door and its frame. He finally threw the man off, falling to his side and crawling to get to the stone steps leading downstairs.

" _Hiro!"_ Tadashi screamed, jumping to the steps. Hiro's head snapped up and relief crossed his features as he continued struggling down the steps.

Only for the man in black to rise from the ground and grab Hiro by the ankle, dragging him back through the doors of the furnace of a building.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Hiro shouted at the man, kicking at him in vain to get free. "Help me! Please! Oh god, no! HELP ME! SOMEBODY!"

Tadashi was now paralyzed with shock, a horrific thought crossing his mind.

 _Your teen brother is getting murdered right before your eyes._

"HEY!" Tadashi yelled at the man as he dragged Hiro back into the fire with ease. Hiro noticed Tadashi dashing up the steps and cried for him not to. What good would it do if they were both dead?

"NO, Tadashi, stop it!" Hiro shouted, regretting crying so desperately for help. Hiro kicked harder and harder, but it was no use. They were back inside of the building. Dead in the center of it. The man in the coat tackled Hiro and began punching him harder and harder. Hiro coughed and choked through each punch, eyeing what was left of the front entrance and sighing in relief seeing that Tadashi was no longer there. He was probably safe on the ground.

Hiro looked around desperately as he was suddenly hauled over the man's shoulders. The man wore Hiro's neurotransmitter, and thousands of microbots were crawling up the man's leg, lifting him higher and higher. Hiro gasped when he realized how high they were. His vision became foggier and foggier through the smoke and the blazing heat. His heart thumped louder and louder as he noticed two or three dead corpses on the ground below.

 _Think_ , he thought, _before you end up just like them._

Hiro's head darted to the nearing ceiling, eyes widening and a smile crossing his face as he noticed a chandelier hanging and swinging just above his head. The man began to command the microbots to sink lower and lower and toward the back entrance. Hiro panicked, jumping from the man's shoulders to the large chandelier and swinging from it. The man cursed at him, too taken aback to act right away. Hiro cheered in a victory when he also noticed an escape door right next to the ceiling.

Why it was so high, he would never know, but he chose not to question it; it was there and it was perfect.

Hiro lifted his legs and kicked the emergency door wide open, crawling through it and collapsing on the roof of the building. The roof was extremely warm from the fire below, but he didn't care. He needed to breathe.

"PLEASE!" he heard voices from below. Likely Tadashi's. "Please let go! Hiro is in there! I have to save my brother!"

"Sir, the building is unstable!" another voice boomed. "It could collapse at any second!"

"More reason to HELP HIM!" Tadashi roared, and Hiro didn't think he had ever heard him get so angry. With that thought in mind, he knew he had to get down somehow and reassure Tadashi that he was alright despite the smoke in his lungs and his punch wounds.

Who the hell was that guy, anyway?

Hiro groaned, walking toward the fire escape stairs conveniently attached to the side of the building. He jogged down as fast as his exhausted legs could carry him, running past the side of the building and sighing in relief at the sight before him near the front, but it broke his heart all the same.

Tadashi was screaming at the firemen and police officers holding him back from the stairs. Cass was sitting in an ambulance with red, puffy eyes. Tadashi's friends were comforting her. Tadashi's eyes were glossy and his voice was beginning to crack.

He needed to get out there.

So, without a thought, Hiro rounded the corner, stumbling all the way.

"Tadashi!"

Tadashi jumped at the call of his name, wide eyes landing on Hiro and gasping in pure relief.

"Hiro!"

Before they could run to each other, however, the building was exploding, sending both brothers flying different directions.

* * *

 _White._

 _White, fuzzy, hot._

 _Pain._

 _Heat._

 _Ringing._

 _Hazed._

 _Sting._

 _Hiro._

Tadashi slowly came to, squinting his eyes. The sound was excruciatingly loud, and the light was so, _so_ hot. Too hot for his body to handle.

Where was he?

He sat up slowly, taking everything in. He was lying on the concrete facing the Exhibit Hall, only there was a hardly an Exhibit Hall to face anymore. It was near completely burnt to ashes, flames roaring and dancing in the night breeze. Tadashi gaped in terror, memories flooding back and suddenly there was only one thing he cared about finding. One person, rather.

Hiro.

"HIRO!" Tadashi screamed, coughing viciously and rising to his feet. "Hiro! Where are you?!"

Tadashi scanned the entire scene frantically until his eyes rested on a small figure lying several feet away from the building. Off to the side was his little brother, right underneath a large oak tree, completely deflated. Tadashi raced to his side, trying to fight tears away. He skidded to a stop, kneeling beside Hiro and taking him in his lap. He cradled his head and pulled his legs over his arm.

"Hiro?"

Hiro didn't even flinch.

"Hiro."

Tadashi shook him this time. Still, nothing.

Tadashi was officially panicking.

He took in his brother's state. Both of his eyes were black, and his cheeks were littered with gashes. He grimaced as anger flooded through his veins and he vowed that the day he met the mysterious man in black, he would ruin him like he ruined Hiro. After this, he knew things would never be the same.

Hiro coughed violently, wrenching himself up. His eyes flew wide open and he rolled out of Tadashi's lap. Tadashi stiffened, watching Hiro closely as he struggled to regain himself. His cough sounded horrible, and he was clearly clutching at his chest in pain with each choke. Tadashi's eyes stung again, and he patted Hiro's back soothingly.

Hiro jumped at the motion, looking at Tadashi with wide, bruised eyes.

"Tadashi," Hiro mumbled hoarsely.

"Are you okay?" Tadashi asked immediately.

"I-that man," Hiro said quietly. "He wouldn't stop. And then I was on the roof. And..."

"What? The roof? What the hell happened in there?"

"Don't make me say," Hiro begged. "He wouldn't stop hitting and hitting. Over and over..."

Tadashi felt his heart completely shatter at how broken he sounded. He had been right; things would never be the same for Hiro after this. But Tadashi would do anything in his power to return him to that state of normal.

"Hiro, you're very injured," Tadashi said. "We need to get you some medical attention, okay?"

Hiro nodded slowly, standing up with the help of the tree support. He stumbled immediately and tripped on his bruised ankle, and before Tadashi could rush to catch him, an EMT was scooping him up and running off with him toward the nearest ambulance. Tadashi jumped up, running off after the man to meet a teary-eyed Cass.

They need you now, he thought.

* * *

The man slammed his fist on the table in rage, kicking at nearby equipment and punching the windows. He couldn't do this without the boy, and his boss would never forgive him for not getting the boy to him. All that really mattered to the man was getting the bots, but the main point of the mission itself was to take the boy. To rip him from his family and help with the mission. To be manipulated into working at the risk of his family, even though they would end up killing him when they were finished with him anyways.

The man groaned, going to the phone and dialing a number. This was not going to be a fun phone call, but he had to make it.

" _What do you want?"_ the receiving voice growled.

"I couldn't get him," the man said flatly. "Hiro, he got away. Jumped on the roof, no doubt didn't survive the explosion. He's dead, sir."

" _But that's just the thing, Robert. It's all over the news. You are. Not only did you recklessly destroy a building on a college campus, but you let the kid get away ALIVE and now we'll never get him because he'll be under close watch by his family! We can't exactly just crash into their house too, you idiot!"_

The phone call ended as quickly as it began, and Robert threw it on the wall, watching plainly as it shattered to the ground.

Watch me, he thought. Watch me take him away.

* * *

 _One year later_

Hiro was running down the school hallway, a grin on his face. The fifteen-year-old was about to return to Tadashi a missing piece to his invention that he had been looking for _forever,_ and he, Hiro, had found it under Tadashi's bed!

Hiro turned the corner into Tadashi's lab, holding the piece high in the air and bowing with a smirk. Tadashi gaped at him, a large grin plastering his face.

"You found it!" Tadashi cheered, snatching it out of Hiro's hands and wrapping Hiro into a warm hug. Hiro melted into it, fisting Tadashi's sweater in his bony hands. Tadashi suddenly yanked out of the hug and his eyes widened in horror.

"Wait a minute. Did you come here all alone?"

Hiro shrank into his shoulders, shuffling his feet.

"Maybe," he mumbled.

"Hiro! You know you're not allowed to walk around alone, you idiot!"

"I wish you weren't so paranoid," Hiro groaned. "What happened was a long time, can we maybe all just forget about it?"

"I don't know, Hiro, because you still won't even tell us what happened to you," Tadashi said with a sigh. "It was terrifying for all of us, and the fact that we still don't know why you were so _hurt_ is even scarier. So no. We can't let it go. Not until that main is caught and we know for sure that you're safe."

"But that was a year ago!" Hiro argued. "That guy probably forgot about me already."

"Oh yeah, that man that started a fire, killed Professor Callaghan, and dragged you into a fiery abyss just because he needed you for something has _definitely_ forgotten about you already, after all this time. That's it."

Hiro rolled his eyes. Ever since the horror with the fire, Hiro had needed a lot of medical help, and Tadashi was always glued to his side, if not him one of his friends. He was never forgotten about or left behind these days. Someone was always worrying about him, and he was grateful but frustrated.

Still, though, he was never going to tell them about how terrifying that had been for him. He hated appearing weak, and he knew that if Tadashi found out just how hard and brutal the masked man had been with him, he would be heartbroken and even out for blood.

"Anyway, I have to get to class," Hiro said, adjusting the strap of his purple backpack. He was currently wearing a baggy red t-shirt. He also wore black jeans and blue converse. He even wore Tadashi's hat. Tadashi chuckled, patting Hiro's head.

"And it's right down the hall, right?" he asked suspiciously.

"Y-yep," Hiro gulped. "Right down the hall."

"Okay. Be safe, knucklehead."

Hiro let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding the minute he left his brother's office. His class wasn't right around the hall, but he could do without the prying from Tadashi the entire walk to class. So, he walked through the three halls to his class with a smile on his face, enjoying the freedom.

One walk to class alone was no harm, right?

Wrong.

The sound of clanking metal filled the empty hallway Hiro was standing in, shaking the yellow lockers up and down the never-ending hallway. Hiro shivered in fear at the all-too-familiar sound, turning on a dime toward it.

His heart stopped beating.

The masked man was standing on the other end of the hallway, slithering toward him viciously. Hiro yelped, abandoning his bag and sprinting the remaining _mile_ down the hallway. He had nothing on the masked man, however, and the found his waist behind swallowed by microbots before being hoisted into the air and then thrown to the ground again. He choked and cried out in agony, gasping when he heard the man chuckle.

"You belong to me now, Hiro."

"NO!" Hiro cried, prying the microbots off and running for Tadashi's office. "Tada-!"

The man wrapped a snake of microbots around Hiro's ankle, yanking him to the ground and dragging him. The power was suddenly out, leaving nothing but the light of the windows from four hallways down.

It was hardly a light at all.

Hiro tried screaming, but he couldn't. tried fighting back, but failed. Tried many things, but found himself useless. The lights above began flickering slightly, and when they did, Hiro realized that the man was lifting him off the ground to be thrown into the lockers. Something that he knew would be even more painful than anything the man had done to him thus far.

No, no, no, no, no! Please don't do this! Oh, god! Somebody help me! Help! ANYBODY!"

BANG

Once into the locker, and Hiro felt something inside of him crack.

BANG

Twice into the locker, and Hiro felt his spine do something unnatural.

BANG

Three times into the locker and Hiro's head made hard contact this time. Hiro toppled to the ground, looking up at the large dent now in the lockers smeared with blood.

"Tadashi," he said sadly, slowly crawling with what the had left.

"Tadashi."

Clank, went the metal of the microbots, wrapping around Hiro.

"TADASHI!"

* * *

Tadashi had taken a break from his invention, smiling at it pridefully and taking a large swig of iced coffee. He had been so concentrated that he hadn't even noticed his friends had all arrived in their own labs. He smiled at them, earning excited waves back.

Today was going to be a good day, for some reason, and he just couldn't fight the feeling.

A sudden loud bang from far away caught his attention, along with his friends'. He turned to the door in confusion, cracking it open. He looked across the hallway to where Hiro's class was.

Empty.

Tadashi now officially felt uncomfortable, but maybe Hiro's class had gone to the library today and that sound was no doubt just another failed experiment.

Before he could shut the door, however, he heard shouts. Muffled and far away, but shouts nonetheless.

"No! -O, stop! -God, some- help! -help me!"

Even Tadashi's friends had faces laced with concern. Other classmates and one of the professors also crowded by the door, listening to the conflict from far away.

"There's someone out there in trouble," Tadashi muttered in shock.

"-shi! Ta-!"

Tadashi hardly heard that shout, but he decided that there was probably already somebody helping the poor kid down there. So, he turned along with everyone else and back to his lab.

 _BANG!_

 _BANG!_

 ** _BANG!_**

"What was that?!" Honey Lemon cried. Tadashi jogged back to the door and listened closer.

"Ta-! -shi!"

Wait a minute...

"TADASHI!"

Tadashi was suddenly wrenching the door open and sprinting with all his might toward the sound. He turned a corner of never ending darkness and yellow lockers to see the masked man surrounded by microbots and staring at a crumple on the floor.

"HEY!" Tadashi roared. He still didn't see Hiro, but he recognized this man anywhere.

The masked man, completely shocked, grabbed the heap and slammed it into the locker, slithering away from the heap on the ground and out of the school. Tadashi sprinted toward the mysterious object.

When he reached it, he was terrified to find that it hadn't been a thing. It had been a person.

His baby brother.

"HIRO!"

Tadashi reached over and cradled Hiro in his arms. His whole body was broken, and he had tear stains running down his face. He was covered in blood. As were the lockers, Tadashi realized, and Tadashi found himself rushing to his feet, his brother still in his arms as he rushed out of the hallways and toward an adult.

"PLEASE HELP!" Tadashi cried. "Help my brother! PLEASE!"

People were immediately all over him, calling 911 and Hiro was rushed to a hospital no less than ten minutes later.

Tadashi had gone with him, blood staining his clothes but desperate for answers and comfort from Hiro.

One thing the man knew for sure; he would never forgive himself for hearing the bangs and the cries from the other side of the door that day...

...and simply walking away.

* * *

 **I know this is simple and crappy but i'm bored and I don't wanna study for finals so it's a THING NOW DAMMIT**


	2. Chapter 2

**made 90's on my finals so far and here I am to celebrate**

* * *

Tadashi had been completely rigid ever since what happened to Hiro. Why Hiro was alone in that hallway and why the masked man chose that moment to attack, Tadashi didn't know, but it was the last straw for him.

Hiro had lied when he said that everyone should just forget about the incident at the showcase. It may have been a long time ago, but there had been more incidents besides that. The masked man had been spotted multiple times following Hiro around the city. Sometimes Tadashi would be reading the morning paper to see Hiro on the front page, walking down the street and being followed by a swarm of microbots. One incident occurred where Tadashi had woken in the middle of the night, shouting in surprise at the swarm of microbots breaking through their bedroom window and slithering toward the boy.

Hiro often slept on the couch in the living room, away from the windows.

But this time, the one time they hadn't been careful, Hiro had been targeted and _required._ Hurt. Broken. Beaten. Almost near no repair. And Tadashi was sick of the thought.

Tadashi sat in the waiting room of the San Fransokyo Hospital wing, hands shaking and leg thumping up and down. He tried to keep the lump out of his throat, but it wasn't working. He was nervous. He was scared. He was _worried._

What was taking so long? What if the surgery went wrong?

What if Hiro was _dead?_

Tadashi abandoned that thought as the most paranoid of all, but it was no doubt the only thing he had been thinking of.

His mind kept wandering to when he had been in his lab and first heard the loud bang. It shook the lab. The desperate shouts had followed. Tadashi had dismissed them as himself "just hearing things." How could he have been so selfish? Hiro was screaming for him. Crying his name. Shouting "help me" multiple times, and Tadashi had ignored them. What did that say about him? Tadashi didn't know, shivering as Hiro's screams pierced through his mind.

I'm going insane, he thought.

Unfair, he knew, because Hiro had actually gone insane in the past. Reliving moments in the fiery abyss of an Exhibit Hall. Being dragged hopelessly into the death trap. Tadashi would always admire how Hiro stared death in the face and had still gotten away alive. Hurt, of course, but alive all the same. His mental issues kicked in after, and he had stopped eating shortly after, making him incredibly thin. Even when the brothers were just teasing around and Tadashi would tackle or tickle him, Hiro would suddenly grow paler, crying out "please don't do this! Help me! No!"

Tadashi still wasn't used to these break-outs.

But he was trying. And his friends had been just as protective of Hiro as he had been, walking to and from classes and driving him home. Hiro was never alone besides this one incident.

"Hamada?"

Tadashi jumped to his feet, relieved to finally be freed from his own thoughts. The nurse that had called his name was eyeing him with pity, something Tadashi didn't take as a good sign.

"I'm his older brother. Hiro's. What's going on with him?"

"He's out of surgery and we expect a recovery," she said, earning a sigh from Tadashi of relief, "but not a full one."

"What do you mean?" Tadashi asked in concern.

"He's got severe spinal and head trauma," the nurse said, flipping through her clipboard. "He'll require a wheelchair for three months and then crutches, but his legs will be incredibly weak. He will need to attend our physical therapy program here at SFH."

Tadashi took in what she had said very slowly, looking down in shock.

"I see," he muttered, shuffling his feet and letting out a long breath. "I'll...I'll let my aunt know about this. Is he allowed visitors?"

"Yes," the nurse said with a small smile. "Room 207."

"Thank you," Tadashi patted her shoulder, rushing past her and straight to room 207. The minute he saw the room number and the door, he was sprinting, reaching the metal door and jiggling the handle frantically. The door swung open, revealing a dark room that smelled thickly of hand sanitizer. Hiro was laying next to the large window of the room, overlooking the bright lights of the bustling night city. Horns honked distinctly, and suddenly Tadashi was so interested in that. Afraid to face Hiro and have to realize that this wouldn't have happened if he had just followed his instincts.

Tadashi took in a deep breath, walking over to Hiro's bed and taking a seat in the chair beside him.

Hiro's comforter swallowed him whole. He was surrounded by a variety of pillows. His breaths were slow and quiet, but at least he was breathing. His heart monitor beeped rhythmically, much to Tadashi's delight. But other than his breathing and his heart rate, he was beaten and bruised.

His eyes were both bruised like they had been after the fire. His face was littered with scars. Where the collar of his hospital gown was unbuttoned, there were large bruises staining his chest. His left arm was in a sling, and he had a black brace wrapping around his ankle. Tadashi wrung his hands together, disgusted with himself. White hot anger was protruding off of him and toward the masked man. How could someone hurt a teenager this badly and for what cause? What was all of this for? Hiro had confessed that the man needed him for his genius when he was in the burning building, but at what cost?

Tadashi shook his head, wiping a tear away and sending a quick text to his aunt, reading simply "He can have visitors," before tossing his phone on the night table and grabbing Hiro's good hand. He laid his head on Hiro's mattress, admiring the way Hiro's chest rose up and sank down with each pained breath. He drew circles with his thumb on the top of Hiro's hand, his eyes slowly fluttering shut-

Hiro's eyes fluttered open at this moment, squinting from the light of the city and turning to Tadashi, who snapped his head up and blinked at Hiro longingly.

"Hiro?" he choked out.

"What happened?" Hiro asked, voice hoarse. He took in his surroundings, panic becoming more and more evident in his features as he realized where he was and as he looked down at his body.

"You're safe, buddy," Tadashi said, voice cracking. "Jesus, you scared me so bad, Hiro..."

"What do you mean? What happened to me-"

Hiro stopped short, obviously regaining the memory of what had happened to him that day and growing pale.

"Hiro?"

Hiro licked his lips and gulped, struggling to sit up straighter.

"Is he gone?" Hiro asked with a trembling voice. Tadashi's chest hurt at the questions.

"Yes, Hiro, but we didn't catch him," Tadashi confessed. Hiro's eyes widened in fear but he nodded nonetheless. "Hiro, can you tell me what happened?"

Hiro took a deep breath, looking anywhere but into Tadashi's eyes.

"Hiro, you know you can tell me anything. You can trust me."

Hiro nodded slowly, looking into Tadashi's eyes and closing his own as he recounted the events from the previous day.

"I-I was walking down the hallway," Hiro croaked, and Tadashi was honestly shocked because why would Hiro be telling him about this and he still won't tell them what happened in the fire? "A-and I heard the sound of my microbots slithering towards m-me. And th-then they wrapped themselves around me and lifted me up-p and..."

Hiro squinted his eyes shut as Tadashi continued squeezing his small hand in his. A tear fell down Hiro's cheek and he turned to Tadashi with glossy, fearful eyes.

"Please don't make me say it."

"Hiro, I would never force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with," Tadashi reassured him. "It's okay. The Dean called me while I was waiting for you here and he said that they have security footage. I can watch it and maybe we can catch the bastard."

"Tadashi...you don't wanna watch it," Hiro muttered. "It's horrible. It was horrible. It was terrifying."

"Hiro, I'm so sorry I didn't hear you the first time you called for me in that wretched hallway," Tadashi said sadly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there the time you absolutely needed me the most. I'm sorry this is happening to you again, but I have to stop it, okay? I have to end it. This has gone too far. Twice for this to happen is far too many times for someone like you, Hiro. This is all I can take, and I'm sure you feel the same. So Cass is gonna drop by and visit with you, bring you some soup, and I'm going back to the campus to stop all of this. Okay, buddy?"

"Thank you, Tadashi," Hiro smiled warmly at him, though the gesture didn't reach his eyes at all. Hiro laid his head back and was quickly asleep again. Tadashi laughed lightly at that, rubbing Hiro's hand until a frantic Cass arrived with soup for the teen. Tadashi was off to the campus. Off to end it all.

* * *

"We found this footage in our hallway security tapes this afternoon," the Dean explained to Tadashi. Tadashi nodded, gesturing for the man to press play on the large TV screen.

The screen whirred to life, pulling up footage of an empty yellow hallway. Hiro came into view walking slowly and tiredly to class, his hands fisted on his backpack straps. Tadashi's eyes were fixated on him and nothing else.

Hiro stopped walking suddenly, turning his head behind him with a chilled look on his face, as if he had heard something. Tadashi thought he heard it too: the clanking of metal. He turned back the direction he had been walking, jumping in fear when he realized that a snake of microbots was slithering toward him. They wrapped themselves around Hiro's ankle, and he struggled to pry them off but he was falling to the floor moments later. Hiro's breathing became loud and erratic, echoing throughout the duration of the tape. Another stream approached him from behind, wrapping themselves around his torso and forcing him on his back. Hiro finally managed to get them off, yelping and leaving his bag on the floor as he ran for it. The microbots captured him again with ease, however, and dragged him all the way back. The masked man appeared from the shadows, his chuckle ringing through the abandoned hallway.

"You belong to me now, Hiro," the man hissed at him. Tadashi took a deep breath, forcing down his anger.

"NO!" Hiro cried out, struggling to get away. It hurt more every second Tadashi watched. "Tadashi! Tada-"

Hiro was yanked off of the ground and thrown to the concrete ground, causing a loud bang to reverberate throughout the hallway. The power suddenly went out, though they tape continued recording in night vision.

What happened next chilled Tadashi and nearly made him want to vomit.

The microbots wrapped around Hiro slowly, lifting him high and turning him toward the yellow, untouched lockers.

"No, no, no, no, no! Please don't do this! Somebody help me! Help me! PLEASE!"

BANG

BANG

BANG

Hiro had been smashed into the locker three times, reducing to a heap on the ground. He slowly got to his arms and tried crawling away with what he had left.

"Tadashi..." Hiro said sadly as he pushed himself. Microbots slithered and grabbed his ankles once again, making Hiro yelp and kick to get free.

"TADASHI!"

Hiro was crushed into the lockers once more before the masked man looked down the hallway and fled. Tadashi was yelling on the other end of the hallway, screaming his brother's name and rushing to cradle him in his arms. The dean pulled out the remote and paused the film. He looked over at Tadashi's tear stained face in concern.

"Son? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tadashi said, sniffing and clearing his throat.

"Yeah. _I'm_ okay, sir."

* * *

Hiro laughed and talked with his Aunt Cass, delighted to have the company. She had brought him chicken soup and soda, which he gratefully accepted. She was frantic at first, but after they began to talk together, they were instantly having the time of their lives.

Tadashi burst through the door, eyes glossy and nose red. Cass was alarmed by his current state.

"Why do you act so calm about everything?" Tadashi demanded. "Why do you only ask for help in death situations? Why do you play everything off like it never happened? Like everything will be fine if you just sweep it under the rug to worry about ONE YEAR LATER?! Well, I am NOT going to stand by while they put you six feet under just because you swept it under the rug. You realize we're here for you, right? But no, you hate appearing weak in front of us so you just don't tell us things. Is that it? During the fire, what did the man tell you? What did he DO to you, Hiro? How much did he MESS you up?"

Hiro blinked in shock, shrinking into his shoulders awkwardly and darting his eyes to Cass, who also seemed too dumbfounded to speak. Hiro cleared his throat, looking down at his hand.

"Why do _you_ worry so much, Tadashi?" Hiro asked. "Siblings are usually supposed to hate each other, right? Prank each other, insult each other. Why are we so different? When you found out that I was being targeted by the masked man, you could've left me to take care of myself, or left Aunt Cass to do it, or turned me into the Witness Protection Program. Why do you care about me so much?"

Tadashi's jaw hung open dumbly, a look of hurt on his face. He slowly walked over to Hiro and pulled up a seat, clapping a large hand on his shoulder and looking at Hiro sincerely.

"Knucklehead, do you honestly think I would ever leave you alone?"

* * *

 **Simple, i know, but i'm so bored an honestly i don't wanna do the dishes**


	3. Chapter 3

**lowest grade for finals today: 87 :)**

* * *

Tadashi had been with the Dean of SFIT for nearly five hours, trying to nail the masked man. The Dean especially wanted to catch him, seeing how this man murdered his friend and best professor, Robert Callaghan.

Tadashi hadn't been exactly close with Robert, but he was his favorite professor out of his classes, and he had barely even gotten to know him much. But he was more concerned about nailing him for Hiro's sake; no teenager should be restricted to his bedroom all day for fear of being murdered, and Tadashi was disgusted by the thought. He had to nab him before _he_ nabbed _Hiro._

So, Tadashi took a large drink of coffee, rewatching the security footage for the umpteenth time.

His heart broke every time he did.

* * *

"I'll be alright, Cass."

"But are you positive? There are security guards here, right?"

Hiro sighed, trying to think of all the possible ways to convince Cass to leave him alone. She had to open the cafe anyway, and Hiro really needed the rest, what with his entire body numb and in pain. He just wanted to be alone.

"Yes, Cass. There are people in the hallways."

"Okay," Cass sighed, eyeing Hiro in an unsure way. "Tadashi's friends will be here in about ten minutes to see you. Tadashi should be done at the lab at around 5:00 and when he is he's coming to stay the night. Alright?"

"Alright, Cass," Hiro said with a laugh. Cass leaned over to kiss his forehead, looking at him as if she would never see his face again.

"I love you so much, Hiro!" she said finally, leaving the room. Hiro waved with his good arm, letting out a breath of relief the minute the door clicked shut.

 _Finally, alone for the first time since the incident._

That thought didn't exactly comfort Hiro, but he closed his eyes and rolled his head back nonetheless, trying to squeeze in ten minutes of sleep before his friends showed up.

Right before he drifted off, however, he heard screaming from down the hall, causing him to jerk his head up. His phone buzzed beside him, and he lifted it to show the contact trying to call him.

Honey Lemon.

"Hello?" Hiro asked, voice hoarse.

"Hiro, don't leave your room, okay?" Honey Lemon said from the other line. Hiro raised an eyebrow.

"...wasn't really planning on it, Honey. What's going on?"

"He's here," Honey Lemon choked out. "The masked man. At the hospital. In the hallway."

Hiro was immediately hanging up the call, jumping to his wheelchair and crawling into it. He wheeled himself as far away from the door and window as possible, going to the bathroom and locking the door. He frantically dialed Tadashi's number.

Of course, he didn't have to wait long for Tadashi to pick up.

"Everything okay over there, knucklehead?" Tadashi asked with a laugh.

"Y-yeah," Hiro said casually. "Everything's g-great! Quick question: are you coming over soon?"

"Not for like three hours, Hiro. Why? Do you need something?"

"Please don't panic, but-"

 _BANG_

"Hiro, what was that?" Tadashi asked in alarm. Hiro's panicked breathing echoed through the bathroom.

"Everything is fine, okay?" Hiro reassured him. "Just forget I s-said anything. Just checking in on y-you, that's all!"

"No, you aren't. What were you gonna tell me?"

"He's here at the hospital," Hiro whispered, unlocking the bathroom door and slowly rolling out of the room.

"Who? Wasabi? Fred? Your doctor?"

"Who do you think, Tadashi?!" Hiro whisper-yelled, eyeing the door in fear. " _Him._ The masked man."

"WHAT?" Tadashi yelled, hanging up the call. Hiro rolled his eyes. The whole point of calling him was so that they could keep in touch, and he hangs up on him? Hiro rolls over to the corner of the room, dialing Honey Lemon again.

"Hiro? Are you okay? The police are here. Everything will be fine, alright? We're gonna get you out of there."

"Where is he?" Hiro asked.

"I don't-"

 _BANG_

Hiro jumped in his seat as the door to his hospital room was being torn from its hinges, the masked man standing with his army of microbots.

"Finally. I've waited for this day, Hiro."

"N-no! Please!"

The masked man clawed his way through the room, slithering toward Hiro viciously and reaching his hands out toward Hiro.

"Listen, man, look at me! Haven't you done enough damage already?"

"No, because listen to me, Hiro," the man laughed, grabbing Hiro's head and saying in his ear, "We don't want you dead. We don't want you to be here with you family anymore. We want to use you for a project. We want to use you, and when we take you, you are NEVER to return. You will live with us, you will die with us, you will belong to us."

Hiro's heart thumped loudly in his chest as a tear made its way down Hiro's face, making his lip quiver.

"Why m-me?"

"Because you're unique, Hiro."

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

The masked man whipped his head around as Gogo stood in the broken door, arms out and hands fisted. Hiro grinned at her gratefully, but she ignored him.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" the man laughed. Gogo didn't flinch, pulling out a gun and aiming it right at him. The man was frozen in shock, and Hiro took advantage of this, ripping the man's neurotransmitter from his head. He was powerless now, and Hiro knew it.

The man must have chosen to ignore this, however, and he lunged at Gogo. Gogo gasped as he ran toward her, looking to Hiro from behind and holding the gun up.

"HIRO! CATCH!"

Hiro stood from his wheelchair, falling to the ground after but catching the gun nonetheless. He aimed it at the man as he backed into the wall, desperately crawling away from the man. He rose the gun higher into the air, pulling the trigger and shooting the man in the stomach.

"Son of a BITCH!" the man roared as he toppled to the ground, and Hiro didn't waste the opportunity to run for it. He got back in his chair and put the neurotransmitter around his head, commanding the bots to drag his wheelchair at full speed out of the room. Gogo was a fast runner, so she kept up easily.

The two were soon bursting out of the front entrance, and Gogo ran to the police officers standing guard by the building. Hiro melted in his seat, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Hiro caught eye of Tadashi standing behind the barriers the police officers had set up. His head shot up at the sound of the microbots Hiro was controlling. He saw Hiro and his eyes widened.

"Hiro! Oh my god, Hiro!"

Tadashi ripped the barrier out of his way, asking a police officer if he could go to the entrance to see Hiro. Before Hiro could wheel his way toward him, however, the microbots were somehow moving without Hiro controlling them. Hiro leapt out of his wheelchair, crawling away from the bots.

"You didn't think I only had the one transmitter, did you, Hiro?" the masked man said from behind him, limping toward Hiro with his arm around his gunshot.

"You're sick..." Hiro mumbled.

"FREEZE!" a police officer shouted, running to the two with his gun up. The masked man simply commanded the microbots to shield him, and he was suddenly flying away from the hospital and away from the city. Everything had happened so fast, Hiro barely had the time to react, but he was too shocked to move.

"Hiro!"

He crawled to his abandoned wheelchair with the help of the police officer, but before he could sit down, Tadashi was rushing to his side, pulling him into a protective hug. Hiro wrapped his good arm around Tadashi as his brother let out a sob, pulling out of the hug and cupping Hiro's face.

"Hiro, this is ALL my fault," Tadashi told him sadly. "I promised you nothing like this would happen again, and I still let it. But I promise you, buddy, this WILL NOT happen again, okay?"

Hiro could only nod before darkness swallowed him whole and he fell limply into Tadashi's embrace.

* * *

 _One year later_

"This is a new and improved way of thinking, healing, and helping."

People snapped photos as Tadashi presented his newest project to SFIT: Baymax. What better way to kick off Senior year than with an awesome new project, and an efficient one at that? Tadashi's grinned remained plastered to his face as he caught a glimpse of Hiro in the crowd, raising his hand and giving him a thumbs-up. Tadashi laughed at this, turning back to his robot and presenting his other features.

After the presentation was over, Hiro was rushing to the stage to congratulate his brother, a matching smile spread across his face.

"Way to go, brother!" Hiro cheered. hugging Tadashi tightly. Tadashi was careful not to knock Hiro's crutches out from under him as he wrapped his arms around Hiro.

"Thank you for coming, Hiro!" Tadashi said. "At least you didn't go on that study abroad trip too. And on your sixteenth birthday? Thank you for being here. It really means a lot."

"And miss this? No way!" Hiro laughed. "Wanna go grab something to eat? To celebrate?"

"For sure," Tadashi nodded. "But excuse me for a second, will you? I need to go say hi to someone really quick."

"I'll just be looking around," Hiro assured him. Tadashi patted his shoulder, going to talk to his professor.

"Outstanding performance, Tadashi!" his professor beamed. She wasn't much older than him, what with being one of SFIT's best Alumni. Tadashi grinned and hugged her.

"Thank you, Professor Valenzuela!"

"You know, you were always bound to be my star student.."

As she talked, however, Tadashi looked over her shoulder, nearly choking at what he saw.

Robert Callaghan, his late professor, was standing in the far hallway of the rebuilt Exhibit Hall, glaring at Tadashi. Tadashi patted Professor Valenzuela's shoulder and took two steps toward the hallway Robert stood in. Robert smirked at him, pulling out a box of matches and taking one out to light. Tadashi's eyes widened, rushing back to where Hiro had been standing. He was no longer there.

 _Where did that knucklehead go?_

"Come on, Hiro, we need to leave..." Tadashi mumbled to himself. He looked around the building, Robert still standing in the hallway. He suddenly dropped the lit match, immediately causing a large flame to break out. A woman screamed, and soon everyone had seen it.

 _Not again..._

"Tadashi!"

Tadashi looked around for the source of the call, eyes landing on Hiro. He was standing next to the entrance, leaning on his crutches. His eyes were wide and filled with panic. He was clearly looking around the building for Tadashi.

"Tadashi! Has anybody seen Tadashi?"

Nobody answered him, shoving him out of the way to escape the growing fire. Tadashi sprinted to where Hiro was, Baymax's charging port in his hands now.

"I'm here, Hiro!" Tadashi yelled at him. Hiro sighed in relief, holding the door open for Tadashi and following him out. Hiro looked at the stairs hopelessly, trying to get down with his crutches. Tadashi scooped him up bridal style, sprinting down the remaining steps.

"Are you okay?" Tadashi asked frantically. "Are you hurt?"

"Not this time," Hiro said, taking his crutches back and getting to his feet. "Thanks for helping me."

"Of course," Tadashi said, leading Hiro away from the building.

"Who could have possibly caused it this time?" Hiro asked. "And why is it always this building?"

"I-I don't know," Tadashi lied, leading Hiro to his car. "But you know what? This time, it was a small fire. And this time, it's their problem. Now, let's go celebrate your birthday together, shall we?"

"Oh. Okay.." Hiro shrugged awkwardly.

He looked back at the building in confusion, then to Tadashi.

 _What just happened?_

* * *

 **I didn't really plan to make so many chapters already but like my history paper can wait so**


	4. Chapter 4

**freshman year at high school: check ;)**

* * *

"Sorry we had to leave so soon," Tadashi said, taking a drink of his iced tea.

"What choice did we have?" Hiro laughed. "Someone set the hallway on fire. I wouldn't have wanted to stay any longer than we had."

Tadashi smiled warmly at Hiro, sighing and looking around the restaurant.

"Is something wrong, Tadashi?" Hiro asked.

Tadashi straightened up at the question. If he was being honest, the image of his dead professor holding the matches and causing the fire still haunted his memory, and Tadashi just couldn't focus.

"No, nothing at all," Tadashi lied. "Just can't believe you're sixteen today."

"Me neither," Hiro grinned, sipping his soda. "My doctor at PT said that as soon as I'm off of my crutches, I can get my drivers license."

"Hiro, that's awesome! And those nurses said you wouldn't make a full recovery. They just didn't know who they were dealing with!"

Hiro laughed and nodded at Tadashi, but Tadashi's excitement died down once again, and he was once again looking around the restaurant."

"Tadashi...are you expecting someone? Because if you are that's fine-"

"No, it's not that," Tadashi sighed, biting his lower lip. "Hiro, do you ever think about Robert Callaghan at all?"

Hiro stiffened this time, tilting his head at how serious Tadashi was being. He gulped, fiddling with his drink.

"Oh, Tadashi, I would really rather not talk about-"

"You don't have to," Tadashi said reassuringly. "I'm not asking that. I'm asking...do you ever think about Robert? Or see him?"

Hiro's eyes widened at that. He looked down at his lap uncomfortably, looking anywhere, _anywhere_ else but into Tadashi's eyes. He hated feeling this weak.

"Well, I-I don't think about him too much, but..."

Tadashi nodded slowly, still looking into Hiro's suddenly-tired eyes.

"Tadashi, do you see him sometimes too?"

* * *

Robert walked around the streets of San Fransokyo, his hands in his coat and his face covered my an old fedora. People obviously looked at him like he was some kind of pedophile and kept their distance, but he didn't pay them mind. His mind was on how Tadashi had seen him and looked beyond horrified. How Hiro had looked at the spreading fire and gotten the worse case of deja vu anyone had ever seen.

How Robert was out in the open like that and he didn't even move.

He had just been so done at that point. So tired of waiting around to capture Hiro for two years that he was willing to kill everyone in that building.

Stupid, he knew, because he had done that before. It shouldn't feel any different the second time around, and he knew it.

So why did it?

He grunted at his behavior, turning into an alleyway that led to their headquarters for this whole mission. He unlocked the heavy doors to the run down building and turned into his office. He dialed a number into the telephone on his desk and patted his foot in anticipation.

"So," said the voice on the other line. "I see someone decided to light yet another building ablaze. Nicely done, but I have one question for you, Robert. Why? What in the hell did that accomplish exactly, pray tell?"

"I'm done with this, okay?" Robert huffed back. "Done with all of this bullshit. I don't wanna do this anymore. I've wasted too much time on it."

"You're not quitting, Robert. You don't really think you can work for me for two years, do a crappy job, and get off clean, do you? That's not how the real world works. Just in case you think you can really make it out there alive. And besides, what will you do without me? It's not like you can just rise from the dead and everyone will be fine with it. You'll probably be imprisoned, you know."

"I don't want a real job or a normal life. I want to make you suffer, Alistar. All you've ever wanted was for Hiro to work for you and keep your company alive. Kepp coming up with ideas. And you know what? People will find out the truth eventually. This plan would never have worked for you. But I can still turn things around. I can capture Hiro for myself, and you will have to pay me to get him back. Yes, that's what I'll do/ I'll take the boy, fake his death, and then I want money for him. Lots of it. And just like that, he'll be yours. Yours forever."

"Go to hell, Robert! Straight to hell! Screw this, I'll take the kid myself."

"You don't have the balls or the technology I have."

Robert ended the call, taking off his fedora and putting on his mask.

 _Tomorrow. Enough with the being careful. I'm taking him tomorrow._

* * *

Hiro and Tadashi had been at the restaurant for hours, talking about college and Robert and Baymax. Tadashi told funny stories in light of Hiro's birthday, and Hiro told funny stories of Tadashi building Baymax.

"I remember that one time when you made all of the power go out at SFIT and I tripped over my crutches. I spent the night on the ground because of you!"

"Hey, I still feel terrible about that!" Tadashi laughed. Hiro waved his hand and shook his head, sipping his soda again. "So. Do you think the masked man is gone for good?"

"I like to think that, yes," Hiro sighed. "He hasn't been around in months, but I'm still careful about it. You never know with that man."

"Well, that's good," Tadashi nodded. Hiro grinned.

"Actually, believe it or not, I come to this joint a lot," Hiro said. "I just go to the bar and order a coke because here, I'm not the kid that got shoved into lockers and thrown out of windows by a lunatic. I'm just Hiro."

Tadashi was saddened by the sentence but he nodded reassuringly at Hiro nonetheless. He grabbed his hand and took a drink of his tea.

"That's nice, I'm sure."

"Yeah..." Hiro said awkwardly. "You know, I got a letter in the mail today. Somebody was wishing me a happy sixteenth birthday. Same person who did last year."

"What? Who?" Tadashi asked. "What do you mean the same person as last year?"

"The masked man always leaves me a letter wishing me a happy birthday," Hiro confessed. "Not at the cafe, of course. He doesn't know where I live. But he leaves it on my desk."

"What? Hiro, why didn't you ever tell me this? That means that he was in your office, we could have caught him!"

"Because he's a psychopath and I hated the idea that he touched my stuff," Hiro confessed. "I didn't know how to react. I threw the letters in the trash."

"Oh, Hiro..."

"And I invented my own security system. Did I tell you about that? I made my own fucking security system. I spent several days in the lab perfecting it so that he wouldn't come in, and do you know what? He still managed to get that letter on my desk. How did he do that?"

Hiro's hands were shaking now. He took his hand out of Tadashi's, rubbing them together frantically in his lap. Tadashi looked at him in shock and sadness.

"All of your friends and Aunt Cass are constantly following me around. Making sure I'm safe. At least when you do it, it's sincere. It's like it's their chore to make sure I'm not being murdered. I'm always so relieved when you come and bring me soup and we talk in the student's lounge. You make sure I'm coping well with everything. That I haven't seen anything weird. But then there's Gogo who pulls out her pocketknife and Wasabi with his bodyguard facade and Fred with his "ninja skills" and Honey Lemon-"

Hiro stopped short, wiping the tear falling from his face away.

"Well...Honey Lemon and Aunt Cass are okay. They're okay. You're okay..."

Tadashi's eyes were beginning to become glossy. He had abandoned his sweet tea and his noodles that he had been enjoying only five minutes earlier. Hiro seemed to have done the same, of course.

"I know you guys are just trying to protect me from all the bullshit I've faced as a teenager...but, fuck, perfection is suffocating."

Tadashi leaned back into the booth he was sitting in, taking Hiro's words in slowly.

"I mean, sometimes, I just want to pack up all my stuff in the middle of the night, throw away my phone, and just leave. Never speak to anyone again."

Tadashi was especially taken aback by this statement, its meaning and tone overcoming his already cloudy memory.

"You wanna...you wanna leave?" Tadashi said, taking a large gulp. Hiro shook his head.

"No...no, of course not. I would never leave you, Tadashi."

"Then what did you mean? What did you mean by that? I mean, that was a pretty serious thing to say."

Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head and grabbing his crutches.

"Excuse me for a second. I need to use the restroom."

Tadashi watched Hiro as he struggled to stand. He got to his crutches eventually, going to the restroom and walking out five minutes later. He carried himself out of the bathroom, past Tadashi's table, and out of the restaurant.

Tadashi didn't move as he watched him go. He didn't stop him, either. He sat there until the manager had to tell Tadashi that the restaurant had closed long ago, and Tadashi was escorted out of the building.

He sat in his car for another hour, scrolling through his phone like an idiot. Eventually, he sighed, turning on his car.

The engine turned over. The headlights were on. Tadashi pulled his seatbelt across his chest.

Before he pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, he pulled out his phone once more, going to Hiro's text message conversation. He hesitated, fiddling with the volume button before typing...

"Happy birthday, little brother. I love you so much."

* * *

"Well, Hiro, you're doing much better than you were one month ago."

Hiro laughed at his PT trainer's statement. Today he had received news that he wouldn't have to use his crutches anymore if he could pass this test. If he could just walk up this flight of stairs. Three flights of stairs. He took a breath, holding his doctor's hand.

"Thank you so much, Doctor Patrice. For everything. Even if I fail this test. Thank you."

"No, Hiro. You did this yourself. You've walked all of those steps. Now the finish line is in your grasp. Go break it!"

Hiro grinned, hugging the woman.

"But DON'T break any of your bones, mister."

"No promises," he said in uncertainty. He took a deep breath, grabbing the railing and taking the first few steps. They were easy, much to Hiro's surprise. He took the next one, his smile growing. This was easy! It really way easy! He found himself walking a normal pace, earning a cheer from his doctor.

"Hiro! You're doing it! You're really doing it! I knew it. I just knew you could do it, young man!"

Hiro laughed, going faster up the steps. His doctor encouraged him, throwing her fist in the air in triumph as Hiro reached the last few steps.

"Last flight, Hiro! Soldier on!"

Hiro nodded, taking them two at a time, jumping to the top. Doctor Patrice screams a victory, running up to Hiro and hugging him.

"You did it! You did it!"

"I did it," Hiro said happily, letting out a deep breath. "I did it! I can walk!"

"Go get yourself a drink and I'll write a note to your driver's education teacher," she winked, going back down the stairs. Hiro nodded, jogging up to the next floor and going to the water fountain. The grin remained plastered on his face.

 _Boy, wait till Tadashi hears I can walk._

Hiro knew that the next time he would talk to Tadashi, it would be awkward, but he hoped maybe Tadashi wasn't angry at him. He had just bottled up so much for two years, he had to let it out. But he had to make it right.

 _Today. I'll make it right today._

With that thought in mind, Hiro bent down to take a drink of water.

Before he could even swallow, however, a loud boom echoed throughout the building, making Hiro leap and turn towards the direction of the sound.

The masked man had blown a large hole into the wall. Hiro cried out in horror, bolting away from him. The man noticed this, commanding his microbots to trap Hiro. They grabbed Hiro's waist, and as the people of the hospital ran in terror, the masked man smirked, trapping Hiro in a bubble of microbots and smashing it on the ground. It wouldn't hurt or kill him, but he had to make it look like Hiro was dead. People couldn't come looking for him once he was gone.

Hiro's panicked breathing filled the small space he was trapped in. He pulled out his phone, trying to call Tadashi.

 _"Hi, this is Tadashi. Leave a message!"_

"Damnit!" Hiro cried. His phone suddenly died, and he cursed in anger. He pocketed it nonetheless. It could come in handy and maybe save his life later. If he even had that much time left, that is.

The masked man left the hospital, Hiro trapped in his grasp and unknown to the world that he was alive. He smirked, thinking of Krei and how he hadn't believed he could actually pull it off. Now, Krei would have to pay him thousands of dollars, and Robert could leave the country.

Hiro began to sob in the bubble of microbots, banging his fists to try and get out.

"Tadashi! Help!"

 _Help._

* * *

Tadashi crumbled up another sheet of notes in anger, throwing it in the trash. Baymax tilted his head at this, hobbling over to Tadashi in concern.

"Is something wrong, Tadashi? You are showing signs of anger and stress. Might I suggest some tea?"

"Maybe later, buddy. I'm just thinking about Hiro, that's all. Don't mind me."

"But I am programmed to mind you."

Tadashi laughed, spinning his chair toward Baymax as he chewed on his pencil.

"It's just...Hiro said something very serious last night and I don't know how I feel about it. I guess I didn't realize how much he needed help because he admitted he wanted to leave us. San Fransokyo. His college. His family. I just don't know, Baymax."

"Well, Tadashi, maybe it was a cry for help. He must need you much more than you think and he was trying to tell you that through a plea."

Tadashi nodded slowly. Maybe Baymax was right. Maybe-

"Tadashi," one of Tadashi's professors was suddenly bursting through the door, devastation on her face. Tadashi stood up in concern, walking to her side.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"There's been an accident at SFH," she choked out.

"The hospital? Isn't your aunt staying there? What happened?"

"My aunt is fine, Tadashi," she said, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Then what's wrong? What kind of accident was it?"

His professor swayed, letting out a strained sob and grabbing Tadashi's hand.

"There was an accident at the hospital and Hiro didn't make it, Tadashi."

* * *

 **yesterday was national brother's day here in america it was lit**


	5. Chapter 5

**please review, it means so much to have positive feedback from my pals :D**

* * *

"I have the kid."

" _What?_ "

"I said I have Hiro. I took him while he was at PT. If you want him, you have to pay up. Then, I'm done with your missions and your schemes."

"Robert, you don't know who you're dealing with," Krei growled over the phone. "I've funded and made sure everything would be satisfactory over the last two years to make sure you could get him to me. You do NOT get to-"

"I most certainly get to do this, you bastard!" Robert roared. "He'll be yours forever, the world will be none the wiser, and I'll be out of the country. For good."

...

"How much do you want for him?"

Robert smirked, turning to look at Hiro. He was unconscious on the ground, tied with ropes and gagged. Robert was almost uncomfortable with how okay he was with the concept of this. Taking a young man away from his family and the world to be a millionaire's slave, just because his company was nearly bankrupt and they were running out of ideas. Robert felt no sympathy toward Hiro. He felt no sadness at the thought of never seeing Krei again. And, most especially, he felt no pity toward the Hamada family.

He cleared his throat, his grip tightening on the telephone.

"One million."

* * *

Tadashi had remembered being overwhelmed with a feeling of never-ending numbness.

He remembered how his entire body had become paralyzed, and the way his ears felt hot like they were trying to un-hear everything. He remembered the horrible feeling of falling that overcame him and how he was suddenly in Baymax's arms, unconscious.

He remembered too vividly.

The funeral had gone by extremely slow. Tadashi had been told that Hiro's entire body had been crushed in some sort of collapse at the hospital and that he had to be cremated.

A quick death, he had been told. It didn't comfort him anymore.

In fact, when he had learned the cause of death, Tadashi had fallen extremely ill and the funeral had to be postponed. He had insisted that the funeral should continue without him. That he honestly didn't want to be there. But Cass had insisted through tears and chokes, pleading that he had to be right by her side through the entire ceremony. Tadashi hesitated but understood that she wouldn't want to be alone.

So, there he was. Standing under an umbrella and staring at the urn his little brother was inside of.

Unfair. All of it. So unfair, Tadashi wasn't so sure that God loved their family at all. That he wasn't willing to show any mercy to the poor, broken family. People had told them that God lets everything happen for a reason, but Tadashi didn't believe a word of it. What kind of God would let an innocent young man be crushed in an explosion?

Tadashi shook off the thought along with a new tear. He had been sure he had run out of them over the last few days, but he had been very wrong.

He had been wrong about everything, it seemed.

* * *

Robert slithered through the alleyways of San Fransokyo, an unconscious and gagged Hiro in tow. He made sure the microbots were quiet this time of night as he made his way to the back of the Krei Tech building, knocking on the back door like Krei had told him to. His instructions had been very thorough, and Robert had been shocked that Krei had even agreed to loan him that much money to get a new identity and get out of the country. He didn't exactly choose to ask, immediately grabbing Hiro and leaving for Krei.

Krei opened the door, smiling at Robert even though it wasn't genuine. He gestured for Robert to come in, eyeing Hiro skeptically. He truly was in a horrible state, but Krei wasn't exactly sympathetic. The entire Krei Tech staff watched dully as Robert slid into the building, his army of microbots and the young boy in tow. Robert took off his mask, whipping around to see Krei as he shut the door.

"I want the money first," Robert insisted.

"I don't think so, Robert," Krei scoffed. "I don't want you running off with the boy. I don't exactly trust you."

"What in hell's name do you expect me to want him for? I don't need him. I don't have a future or a family, and you know that."

"But you do have a family," Krei said with a smirk.

Abigail burst through the door at that moment, a briefcase in her trembling hands. Robert gasped at the sight of her. She probably thought he had been dead all these years, because the minute she laid eyes on him, her eyes welled with tears.

"Dad," she choked out, looking away from him.

"Abbie?"

She looked down further, rage crossing her features as her eyes trailed over to Hiro.

"You're a _monster_ ," she says in a sob, abandoning the briefcase and running to Hiro's aide. "His family is devastated, you know that? Monsters, all of you!"

She began untying him, and he awoke instantly, looking around in fear.

"W-what is-?"

"Shh, it's okay, Hiro," she insists, pulling him into a hug. Hiro looks up at Robert, gasping in horror.

"Robert...Callaghan?" he says in shock. "But...you died in the fire!"

"Do you really believe that, Hiro? Even after seeing me around the city all of these years?"

Hiro shrunk at Robert's question. He looked into Abigail's eyes longingly.

"Why am I here?" Hiro whispered to her. She leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"I'm gonna help you escape, okay? Krei wants to use you as his slave at his company, but I'll stop him, I promise. Just hang in there."

Hiro's fear only grew, watching as Robert snatched the briefcase and slithered out of the building, looking back one last time at Abigail, Hiro, and Krei.

"Sweetheart," he says in sadness, reaching his hand out toward his daughter.

"Get the hell out of here," she groans. "I never want to see your face again."

Robert looks at her in pain, his eyes filled with heart as he turns to Krei with a scowl.

"Have a nice life, Alistar. And you, Hiro."

 _Not like his life has much left to it._

* * *

 _One month later_

Tadashi sat in his lab at SFIT, dark circles tracing his once joyful eyes. He was beginning to fail some of his favorite classes, and Baymax had been shut away for ages. Not like Tadashi had really bothered touching him. No amount of help could fix him at this point.

 _Hiro wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. He loved you so much. Get off your ass and go grab a coffee. Visit Cass. She's lonely._

Tadashi shook his head. Why should he get to enjoy his life when he knew Hiro would never get to?

 _Get over him. It's been a month._

"He's my brother," Tadashi whispered to himself, banging his fist on the table and causing several empty beer bottles to roll off and shatter. Honey Lemon entered the room, walking briskly to his desk.

"Tadashi, campus security will ban you from the school if you keep drinking in your office," she scolded him, gathering the bottles and throwing them in the trash. Tadashi didn't pay her mind, not even reaching up to wipe the new tear off of his cheek. She noticed this, feeling pity towards the poor man and rubbing circles on his back.

"Tadashi, I know you miss Hiro. I miss him so much, I didn't come to school for weeks. But you have to make Hiro more than an abandoned memory. This isn't any way to grieve."

"I don't care, okay?" Tadashi yelled. "I don't give a fuck anymore."

Honey Lemon kept her calm facade, despite Tadashi's echoing voice. She took a deep breath, squeezing the strap of her bag.

"But maybe that's the whole point," Honey Lemon said quietly, still looking for the right thing to say. "Maybe you need to care and still cope. Let go and all of that."

"'Let go and all of that'," Tadashi scoffed, leaning back in his seat. Honey Lemon sighed loudly, collapsing on Tadashi's couch.

"Why did that happen?" Honey Lemon asked in frustration. Tadashi turned his chair toward her.

"Why did what happen?"

"What, you don't ever wonder what caused the explosion?" Honey Lemon asked. Tadashi shrugged.

"I dunno. Chemicals. Either way, it killed half of the hospital. People are calling it a country crisis, like 9/11."

Honey Lemon rolled her eyes.

"I didn't hear anything about other people dying though," Honey Lemon said. "I only heard about Hiro dying and then people being hospitalized. So where did you hear-?"

"I don't know, Honey Lemon," Tadashi said in frustration. "I didn't really read about it online. I just assumed that an explosion would kill other people."

"That's my point," Honey Lemon said, uneasy how he would react to what she was about to say. "Tadashi, why did the explosion only kill Hiro? And why were there no burn marks or fire scorches on the building at all?"

Tadashi's eyes widened, standing up straight and looking down at Honey Lemon in extreme sudden interest.

"What are you saying?"

"Tadashi...what if Hiro was murdered?"

Tadashi went stiff, taking in her theory. It was a very big possibility.

"And above that, why didn't anyone see Hiro's body? They said that it was too morbid for anyone to see, but what if they just didn't find a body? What's in that urn?"

"Honey Lemon, how long have you been piecing all of this together?" Tadashi asked.

"All I'm saying is that there's no reason the masked man couldn't be involved in this. What if Hiro was not only 'murdered' but kidnapped too?"

"You think Hiro is still _alive_?" Tadashi asked, even more shocked than before.

"Yes! Absolutely I think Hiro is still alive. No body, no explosion, no murder, Tadashi."

Tadashi deflated back into his seat, rubbing a large hand over his face.

"Oh, Tadashi, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't-I shouldn't have told you that. I've just bottled it up for so long, and I-"

"I believe you, Honey Lemon," Tadashi said. A grin spread across Honey Lemon's face as she reached over and took Tadashi's hand in triumph.

"Although I'm 99.9% sure I'm right, don't get your hopes up, okay?" she said, squeezing his hand tightly. Tadashi nodded, a smile crossing his face as well for the first time since Hiro "died."

 _No promises._

* * *

"Hiro! Where are those blueprints?"

"I gave them to you, sir," Hiro said, rolling his eyes as he typed another equation into his calculator.

"Don't try my patience, boy," Krei growled. "People-professionals- are coming to look at your work under our name. Everything needs to be perfect and they want to see our models, notes, and prototypes."

"And that's wonderful, sir, but I'm certain you had my prints last," Hiro groaned. He sketched something on his grid paper before crumbling it up and starting on a new one. "I'm not in charge of keeping track of my notes, I'm in charge of writing them and giving them to you."

"Hiro, for the last time, where are your notes? They'll be here _any minute!_ "

"I said, I don't-"

"Sir?"

Hiro and Krei both whipped their heads toward Abigail. She stood in the doorway, a roll of blue paper clutched in her fists. She gave it to Krei, eyeing the two men in skepticism.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Abigail," Krei said, straightening his suit and leaving the room. He reminded Abigail to lock the door on her way out, making sure Hiro wouldn't be escaping anytime soon. Abigail walked up to Hiro's desk excitedly.

"Hiro, Operation Escape is almost completely finished!" Abigail grinned.

"You're seriously still working on that?" Hiro asked, adjusting his reading glasses and flipping through his notebook.

"O-of course I am, Hiro. I've been working on it nonstop. You want out, don't you?"

Hiro looked up from his work, nearly wanting to scoff at the question.

"Abigail, I gave up on escape the first month in. They don't feed me here. They don't care about me at all. The have close tabs on me. They threaten me with my family who, by the way, is devastated. I'm just their tool. Of course, I want out of this hell hole. They make me wear a white button-down, a tie, and dress pants. And do you see these bruises? They hurt me, too. But do you really expect that under any circumstances that you'll get me out of here? We'll both get shot, doofus."

"Tadashi knows."

Hiro stared at her in confusion, tilting his head.

"He knows what?"

"I dropped by SFIT to let them know that Krei wanted to meet and discuss new sample ideas when I passed Tadashi's office, and-"

"You saw Tadashi?" Hiro gasped, putting his hands on his desk. "Is he okay? Oh, how is he? How is doing?"

"Not well," Abigail sighed. "I eavesdropped, and he's failing his classes. He's also been drinking in his _office_. He's really grieving. He misses you so much, Hiro. That's why you need to go home."

Hiro deflated into his seat, running a hand through his already unkempt hair.

"But that's not all," she continued. "Honey Lemon was in his office talking about the hospital you were taken from. She thinks it's all a hoax. How they didn't find a body and how it didn't seem like an explosion."

Hiro couldn't help but grin at this.

"They didn't give up on me," Hiro said with a light laugh. Abigail nodded.

"Exactly, Hiro, and that's why Operation Escape is still underway!" she said. "At this rate, it could be today or tomorrow."

"A-are you serious?" Hiro said, his grin growing wider. "Abigail, why didn't you say so?! This is _it!_ "

 _I've been telling you,_ she thought.

"Let's do it tonight," Hiro said, rising from his desk and pacing. "Whatever you need from me, I'll provide it for you. Anything at all."

"T-totally, we can do it tonight!" Abigail said eagerly. "Hiro, we can do it tonight!"

Hiro laughed, rounding his desk and scooping Abigail up in a hug. She was shocked but accepted it nonetheless.

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you,_ " Hiro repeated. She smiled warmly, pulling out of the hug and taking a file out of her shoulder bag.

"Here's the plan."

* * *

That night, the plan was completely bulletproof. They had spent hours calculating every way something might go wrong and solved it, and they even marked each exit on the map of the Krei Tech campus. Abigail asked Krei if she could be on Hiro duty that night. She knew it wouldn't be easy, considering the fact that Krei doesn't trust her already, but he eventually gave in, saying he had "too much" on his plate and that she only had to make sure that Hiro didn't escape.

She had laughed at that request.

Hiro winked at Abigail as his, well, prison cell's doors closed and locked. There was always a security guard in Hiro's cell at night. His name was Tyler, and he always threatened Hiro with punches. He had given him many in his day, but this time, Hiro wasn't afraid.

"Hey, Tyler, has anyone ever told you how ugly you are?" Hiro asked with a smirk. Tyler's eyes widened in rage as he stood from his seat, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm gonna murder you!" he roared, slamming a fist into Hiro chest and face. Hiro felt his nose crack, but he bit down the pain, pulling out a can of pepper spray that Abigail had given him and squirting it in his face. Tyler screamed in pain, ripping at his face.

"AHHH!" he roared in the tiny cell. Abigail unlocked the prison doors, taking Hiro's hand. Hiro hadn't left the cell in one month, seeing as they had given him everything he needed. He had been unconscious when they first brought him down, so seeing the underground hallway he had been held him brought him surprise. He looked up and down the torn down and dull hall, running to keep up with Abigail all the while.

"Phase one: complete," Abigail grinned, taking Hiro's hand and leading him through a flight of stairs. Once at the bottom, they reached a large door, leading to the front of the building. Hiro took the handle.

"No! We're not going that way!"

"But it's the way out?" Hiro said in confusion. Abigail rolled her eyes, pointing to a ventilation shaft just below Hiro's knees. He looked at in hesitation but bent down and tore the cage off anyway. Hiro crawled in first, crawling on his arms through the small space.

"Hiro, you're dripping blood everywhere from your nose," Abigail groaned in disgust.

"Uh, sorry?" Hiro shrugged, stopping at a fork in the vent. "Which way now?"

Before Abigail could respond, however, the building sirens were suddenly roaring, shaking the vents. Hiro looked back at Abigail in shock.

"They found out!" he cried, turning right in the vent and crawling faster.

"Wrong way, Hiro!" Abigail shouted. Hiro didn't listen though. He was crawling faster than he had been, turning another corner. Abigail cursed under her breath, trusting that Hiro had memorized the map enough to know where they were going.

"Look! This way leads outside!" Hiro pointed at a vent opening just ahead, city and starlight glowing through the bars. Hiro and Abigail frantically made their way towards it, and Hiro began banging on the shaft to get it open. The cover fell off, toppling to the grass below. Hiro closed his eyes and took in the fresh air, a warm smile on his face.

"Hiro! HURRY!"

Abigail's shout startled him, and he found himself slipping, realizing that the vent was several feet above the ground. He shouted in horror before he was suddenly falling to the grass below, landing on his arm. His arm cracked loudly upon impact.

"ARGH!" Hiro groaned, gripping his arm in pain. Abigail winced, climbing down the pole on the side of the building.

"Oh, my god, I'm sorry, Hiro!" she cried, bending down to help Hiro up.

"No time," he said in pain, standing up and rubbing his now purple arm. "We have to go. NOW."

Abigail nodded, admiring his pain tolerance for the sake of the mission. They were running to the ladder on the gate of the campus. Abigail went first, hopping over the wall. Hiro hoisted himself up with his good arm.

"GET BACK HERE!" Krei roared from the entrance of the facility. Hiro yelped as Krei began running toward them, and he hopped over the wall after Abigail.

"RUN!" Hiro cried, taking Abigail's hand and running through the streets of San Fransokyo. The two couldn't help grinning as they sprinted down the streets, thunder rumbling above.

* * *

Tadashi was thankful he had made Baymax's scanner so complex, because Honey Lemon had a crazy plan.

"This won't work, I'm telling you," Tadashi sighed, guiding Baymax to the docks. Honey Lemon rolled her eyes.

"Have at least a little faith in me, Tadashi," Honey Lemon said hopefully, patting Tadashi's shoulder. He rolled his eyes this time, letting her take Baymax and execute her plan.

"Okay, Baymax. Find Hiro."

Baymax nodded, activating his scanner and turning to scan the entire city. Tadashi watched in anticipation as he did so, focusing on every little thing he did in the process. Baymax suddenly stopped the scan, lifting his finger toward the sky.

"There is a storm coming. Shelter is recommended."

"Baymax, it's fine," Honey Lemon said with a laugh. Tadashi, however, groaned in annoyance, taking out his phone and scrolling through it. Honey Lemon dulled slightly but helped Baymax focus nonetheless.

"Okay, buddy. Let's try that again, alright? This time, don't stop the scan."

Baymax nodded again and reactivated his scanner, spinning around to scan the entire city. His head made a strange sound, until..."

"Hiro spotted on Judge Ely Street, he is accompanied by-"

"WHAT?!" Tadashi gasped, jumping in the car. Honey Lemon laughed in triumph, commanding Baymax to shrink into his port and crawling into the car. Tadashi slammed his foot on the gas, driving off toward the area Hiro was "spotted."

 _This better be real._

* * *

Krei had gotten into his car and had begun chasing after the two young adults, anger coursing through his veins. If anyone found out about the things they did to Hiro, Krei would never see the sun again, and he knew it. So here he was, Hiro and Abigail shining in his headlights. Hiro still gripped his arm in pain, sprinting alongside Abigail.

"Quick! To the docks!"

Hiro didn't think that would work out well but he followed her anyway, nearly slipping due to the rain that had just started to fall. They eventually made it to the ocean side, Krei hot on their tail. Hiro became more and more exhausted by the second as Krei jumped out his car, running toward them.

"Run faster!" Abigail urged Hiro, and they were sprinting away from Krei once again.

Suddenly, a small, white car was coming straight for the two, making them both scream and hug each other in fear. The car skidded to a halt, only slightly bumping them over. Hiro and Abigail immediately jumped to their feet, running away from the car and a running Krei. Hiro heard shouting come from the small white car but he paid it no mind, skidding to a halt as realized they were at a dead end.

"What do we do now?!" Abigail cried, holding onto Hiro's bad arm for dear life. Krei pulled a pistol out of his coat, aiming it right at Abigail. Hiro cried out in alarm, running towards Krei and fighting for the gun.

"Give it to me!" Hiro roared, making sure the gun wasn't pointed at him as they fought in the pouring rain.

"You shouldn't have run from me, you imbisol!" Krei roared. "And, oh, is someone's arm broken?" Krei smirked, twisting Hiro's red and blue arm and making him collapse in pain. Krei slammed the barrel of the gun down on the back of Hiro's head as kneeled and rubbed his arm.

"Hey!"

Hiro snapped his head to the sound of the familiar voice, gasping as Tadashi charged toward Krei. Krei lifted the gun to Tadashi, making him skid to a halt. Hiro rose from the ground, grabbing Krei from behind and choking him. Tadashi gasped at the sight of Hiro, covering his mouth in shock. Krei reached his gun down and shot Hiro in the leg before Hiro shoved him to the ground, his head making hard contact with the gravel. Hiro's heart thumped loudly in his chest, and Abigail was running to his side in an instant, making sure he was alright.

"H-Hiro?"

"Krei reached his gun down and shot Hiro in the leg before Hiro shoved him to the ground, his head making hard contact with the gravel. Hiro's heart thumped loudly in his chest, and Abigail was running to his side in an instant, making sure he was alright.

"Hiro, your leg!"

"I'll be fine, I promise," he assured her in a strained voice. He looked up at Tadashi, standing as quickly as he could and hugging him. Tadashi did the same, grabbing a fistful of Hiro's hair and squeezing his small frame.

"Hiro, Hiro, Hiro," Tadashi whispered, crying a thank you to the God he had doubted just a month ago. Hiro hugged him just as hard, give or take an arm. Honey Lemon and Baymax ran to the brothers.

"Tadashi, Hiro is in a critical state. Hospitalization is highly recommended."

Tadashi nodded, scooping Hiro up and panicking as he realized Hiro had fallen unconscious. He looked up at Abigail and nodded at her.

"Thank you so much for helping him," Tadashi said.

"I'll stay here and make sure Krei makes it to the city prison," she winked, gesturing for Tadashi to go to the car and save Hiro's life. He didn't have to ask, looking at Honey Lemon and sprinting for the car.

"Be safe," Abigail whispered as the rain continued pouring in sheets, dialing 911 into her phone.

* * *

 **this was such a lazy chapter wtf**


	6. Chapter 6

**hi, i'm gay.**

* * *

Tadashi paced back and forth through the waiting room hallway. Aunt Cass and Honey Lemon slept in the chair behind him, clearly uncomfortable. Tadashi admired how they could sleep through almost anything while he hadn't slept well since Hiro died.

Well, since Hiro was kidnapped.

Tadashi still didn't understand the whole story. He didn't know why Krei had been chasing him with a gun, or why Abigail Callaghan had been there, but it hurt his head just thinking about it. He was quite honestly furious with himself, as a matter of fact. He had sat around drinking, sulking, and isolating himself for a whole month, completely oblivious to the fact that Hiro was alive somewhere in the bustling city. He hated it. He hated that even when they had found Hiro, Tadashi watched dumbfounded as Krei smacked him in the head and shot his leg. All of it could have been avoided so easily, but all Tadashi did was watch.

It seemed all he ever did was watch.

"Hamada?"

Tadashi snapped his head up, walking nervously toward the nurse that had called the name, adjusting the extremely large coat he wore. His black torn jeans made the nurse raise an eyebrow, but not as much as his blood stained converse. He shrugged nonetheless, flipping through his clipboard.

"You're the brother?"

"Yes, sir. How is he?"

"Well...I don't have a full report-"

"Can I please see him?"

"Yes, room 564, but I don't have his papers so don't feed him or anything like that."

Tadashi didn't stick around to listen to what the nurse had to say after that, sprinting to the elevator and jamming his thumb on the button to the fifth floor. He walked through an endless tangle of hallways before finally reaching Hiro's not hesitating in the slightest to open the door.

Hiro's room was dark, just like it had been the last time they were here. He still had a window that overlooked the beautiful city. His pillows and blankets still swallowed him whole, but even more so, causing Tadashi to be even more overwhelmed with concern then he had already been all night.

Tadashi slowly approached his little brother, pulling up a chair and collapsing in it. Hiro's arm was in a cast once again, and he wore a breathing mask. He was covered in bruises as well, making Tadashi cringe. Tadashi turned his eyes to the window in the room. The sun was just now rising, though it still rained like it had earlier. The rain calmed Tadashi, and he slowly closed his eyes, warmly smiling at the sound of thunder and rain patter.

The calm didn't last long, however. Hiro stirred and opened his eyes, and Tadashi held his breath as Hiro looked around in confusion. He sat up straighter with his good arm and lifted his good hand to feel his breathing mask. He slowly removed it from his face and turned to his left, jumping at the sight of Tadashi.

"Hiro," Tadashi released the breath and swallowed hard, taking his hand. Hiro's eyes got wider and wider by the second, and he looked into Tadashi's tired eyes as he did the same to Hiro's bruised ones.

"T-Tadashi," Hiro said in a quiet, hoarse voice.

"Do you need water, Hiro?" Tadashi asked, looking around for a cup even though the nurse had specifically told him not to give his brother anything. Hiro shook his head.

"No," Hiro said, shaking his head and wrapping his good arm around his stomach. "Tadashi, what day is it?"

"Today is...Thursday. Thursday, July 24th. Why?"

Hiro gasped silently as Tadashi smiled warmly at him, putting a supporting hand on his shoulder.

"But don't worry, you're safe now."

"Tadashi."

"Everything will be okay once we know the whole story, and-"

"Tadashi."

"Maybe we can even find out who the masked guy is once and for all."

"Tadashi, listen to me, okay?"

Tadashi's smile remained and he tightened his grip on Hiro's shoulder, looking longingly into his eyes.

"Of course, Hiro. What's wrong?"

Hiro licked his lips, wrapping his arm tighter around his waist.

"I-I haven't eaten in two and a half weeks."

Tadashi's smile was now slowly but surely going away, and he took his hand away from Hiro's shoulder.

"You haven't...you weren't... _what_?"

"They didn't really give me any-can you please just maybe ask someone if I can have something? Maybe?"

"Oh, my- yes, Hiro, of course. Oh my _god,_ okay, I'll go get you something nice, okay?"

"Thank you so much," Hiro said quietly as Tadashi was jogging out of the room to get Hiro a meal. He went back down the elevator to wake Honey Lemon and Cass.

"Honey Lemon," Tadashi whispered, shaking her shoulder. She woke instantly, looking at Tadashi with concern.

"What? Is everything alright?"

"I need you to go sit with Hiro in room 564. He just needs company for a little bit, yeah?"

"What-what's wrong? Why are you shaking so much?"

"He didn't eat," Tadashi said in frustration. "He hasn't eaten in nearly three weeks, so I'm going to that drive in to get him some noodles or something. Will you and Cass just go sit with him until I'm back?"

"Of course-three weeks?!"

"No time to explain, just get up there," Tadashi said, sprinting out of the hospital and to his car.

* * *

Tadashi arrived with a bowl of noodles and a glass of lemonade nearly five minutes later, bursting into the room and startling everyone in it. He rushed to Hiro's side and handed him the to-go bag, which his brother took moe than gratefully.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tadashi. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Hiro dug into the bag, and Tadashi couldn't help but feel devastated at the scene.

"Yeah, of course. You don't even have to thank me, you haven't eaten in forever."

"Yeah," Hiro laughed lightly. "At least they gave me water."

 _They?_

"Uh, Hiro, about that," Cass spoke up, leaning closer to Hiro's bed. "We need you to tell us where you've been for the past month."

"Yes, right," Hiro said, taking another bite of noodles. Tadashi pulled a chair up beside Hiro as well.

"Hiro, this past month has probably been the hardest month that our family has ever faced," Tadashi said. Hiro looked down at his bowl in guilt. "Please don't feel guilty or anything like that. But we at least deserve to know what exactly the hell happened."

"Definitely," Hiro nodded. He had already quickly finished his meal and was now sipping on his lemonade. "Okay, so I was here at the hospital for physical therapy when there was-"

"Right, we know about the explosion," Tadashi nodded. Hiro raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you wanna call it an explosion," Hiro scoffed, making Tadashi stiffen with confusion. "It was more of a masked-man-protruding-through-the-wall kind of thing."

Honey Lemon looked over at Tadashi and smirked at him. He simply rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, I was getting a sip of water when the masked man came through the wall and he took me with his-erhm, _my_ microbots. Then he took me to what I want to guess is his office and...you know...he tied me up and all of that fun stuff. He made some phone call and then we were off into the city. He took me to Krei Tech and Krei was waiting for me there-"

"Wait, Alistar Krei is the reason all of this happened?" Cass asked in shock, gripping the armrest on her chair.

"Well, he didn't pull it off alone," Hiro said. "The masked man had apparently been planning to trade me for one million dollars with Krei."

"One million dollars," Honey Lemon whispered. Hiro nodded.

"Isn't that, like, slave trade basically?" Tadashi asked in disgust. Hiro shrugged.

"If you wanna call it that, yes, that's exactly what it was. Anyways, the masked man took off his mask, and..."

Tadashi, Cass, and Honey all leaned forward, eager to know who the man they had been trying to hunt down for two years' identity. Hiro shrunk into his pillows.

"It was Robert Callaghan."

"I knew it," Honey Lemon whispered as Tadashi and Cass covered their mouths, completely overwhelmed with the news.

"Callaghan?" Tadashi choked out. "But he-"

"If I survived that fire, so could he," Hiro said. "The night of the showcase he took my microbots, lit the building on fire, and attempted to get me to Krei but failed. He failed many other times, too."

The room went silent, and Tadashi urged for Hiro to continue.

"Anyways, so I'm at Krei Tech and Abigail Callaghan runs in with the briefcase full of Robert's money. She orders Robert to take the money and then demands that he leave the country and never come back for her. She's been working at Krei Tech for nearly two years. So she unties me and tries to reason with Krei, but he doesn't listen. So after Robert leaves with the money, I'm taken to a dark room several floors below and I don't leave for a whole month."

"Wow," Tadashi deflated in his seat, rubbing a hand over his face. "So, wait, what did you do there?"

"Krei's company was running out of ideas as well as money, so they had me invent new robots and machines for his company in the basement. Abigail liked to come in and check on me. The first week she brought me food it ended up being poisoned without her knowing, so I never got food after that. The guards liked to come down and hit me just for the fun of it. They provided me with plenty of water, luckily, and a blanket and pillow to sleep on my desk. They made me wear a white button down with a navy blue tie and dress pants, which you probably saw me wearing tonight. Yesterday Abigail came to my desk to let me know that she had devised a plan for my escape that was so bulletproof, I could have been home at the cafe by 10 o'clock last night. Obviously, the plan didn't exactly work out. I fell off the roof and broke my arm and Krei ended up following us to the docks. That's just about it, though."

"Oh, Hiro-"

"Hiro?" a nurse walked in, turning the corner and smiling at him.

"Yeah?"

"There is an Abigail Callaghan here to see you, but she's a bit jumpy-"

"Hiro!"

Abigail burst into the room, scratches all over her face. Hiro was astonished at her appearance as she rushed to his side, ignoring Cass and Honey.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Hiro asked.

"Krei got away," Abigail said, making Tadashi jump up in alert. "He hit me and then he left. He took off in his car. The police didn't believe a word of my story. We're screwed, Hiro! He's coming back for you, no doubt."

"Shit," Tadashi sighed, pulling his phone out.

"It all just happened so fast," Abigail mumbled, breath shaky. "But he's planning something huge, I know it. He prepared for this. For your escape."

"Maybe that's good," Hiro said, staring at his hand in thought. Tadashi turned his head slowly in Hiro's direction, anger written on every inch of his face.

"You're kidding me," Tadashi scoffed. "Hiro, this man could kill you. He could literally end your life. Are you that dense?"

"Listen to me, Tadashi," Hiro said, this time his voice was shaking uncontrollably. "I know this man a hell of a lot more than you do. He's been yelling in my face and punching me for a month. He's forced me into slave labor and starved me out. Poisoned me. Yelled at me until I was convinced I was a worthless piece of garbage and that you guys would never accept me if I faced escape. He's a monster, okay? He shot me and gave me a concussion. But I might have a plan."

Tadashi slowly sat back down, guilt overtaking him. Had he really gotten angry at Hiro and called him dense because he thought he was some stupid kid?

"Well, Hiro-well, what is it?" Tadashi asked, rubbing his hands together awkwardly.

"What if I turn myself into him?" Hiro suggested, earning immediate disapproval from Tadashi. "No, no, listen, what if I walk in with a secret camera or radio hidden on me or something? I walk in, record Krei abusing me, and I send it to you. You turn it into the police. Rescue me. Bam. Krei's facing an easy ten years in prison and bankruptcy."

"That's a nice joke," Tadashi said sarcastically, shaking his head.

"Tadashi-"

"Do you honestly think I'm gonna let you get kidnapped _again_ when we could easily come up with something safer?"

"I'm with Tadashi," Cass spoke up, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't like this."

"Hiro has a point," Honey Lemon shrugged. "The police won't believe us no matter what story we concoct. We need pure evidence we can give to them so that we can all step back and let them do their dirty work. Besides, Abigail still technically works there, if Krei knows she was in on that plan."

"Oh, he did," Abigail scoffed. "I can't step foot on that campus or I'll get shot."

"See, Hiro?" Tadashi said finally. "She'll get shot! What makes you think you'll be any luckier?"

"Because I made him nearly twenty million dollars this month and he knows I can make him that much in a day, too."

Tadashi stared at Hiro, jaw dropped and eyes wide. Hiro couldn't help but smirk.

"Twenty _million_ dollars?" he muttered. "In one month...?"

"Yes."

Tadashi looked around the room, clearly more than skeptical about the entire ordeal.

"We do this under my rules, do you guys understand?" Tadashi said, eyeing everyone in the room. Hiro nodded eagerly. "If even anything goes wrong, we get Hiro the hell out of there and just stay out of it. We protect Hiro and if Krei tries to take him, he goes through us. Is that clear, everyone?"

"Yes, yes it's clear," Hiro said, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

Cass rolled her eyes, deflating in her seat and rolling her head back. Hiro shrugged, leaning toward Abigail and Tadashi.

"So, here's what I'm thinking."

* * *

"How could you possibly let this happen?!"

The Krei Tech security guards were lined up against the wall of Hiro's cell, facing Krei's wrath in the flesh. Some looked guilty, some looked unfazed. Either way, Krei looked furious.

"How could you allow your inmate to pepper spray you, Tyler?! And how could none of you hear the boy through the vents?! I chased that kid around all night and all I got was a concussion from it, you assholes! What do you have to say for yourselves, huh?"

The guards looked around at each other awkwardly, shuffling their feet around.

"Jesus," Krei scoffed, walking up and down the hallway with his hands behind his back. "What are you, toddlers? We're getting the kid back by the end of the week, or you're all fired. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the guards yelled in unison, returning to their confident facade.

"Yeah? Well, get the hell out of my sight."

* * *

 _One week later_

Tadashi, Honey Lemon, and Abigail all worked tirelessly at the cafe bar, blueprints for the Krei Tech campus sprawled out in front of them. Abigail knew where every guard was stationed and where every entrance was, so she played a crucial part in the plan. Honey Lemon developed a chemical purse-like invention for everyone so that they would be prepared in case Krei tried anything serious during Hiro's surrender. Tadashi was basically supervising the plan and making sure he was okay with everything happening and, most importantly, that Hiro wasn't getting hurt in any way at all when they go to Krei Tech tomorrow.

"I made sandwiches!" Hiro called from the kitchen. He swung open the cafe's kitchen door, plates in his good hand as he balanced himself on his crutches.

"Hiro!" Tadashi scolded with a laugh, going to help the poor kid carry the plates. Hiro thanked him, returning to balance with his crutches and carrying himself to the opposite side of the counter where all of the blueprints were sprawled out.

"Aw, Hiro, you really didn't have to do that," Abigail chuckled, taking a bite of her meal.

"Please, it's the least I could do. After all, I got you banned from Krei Tech. And you guys are helping me out with this whole plan."

"Not like I enjoyed working with Krei anyway," Abigail shrugged. Hiro laughed again.

"Hiro, are you sure you'll be able to walk on your own tomorrow?" Tadashi asked skeptically. Hiro scoffed, waving his hand.

"I never said I could walk. I said I could _limp_. Fool."

Tadashi sighed, looking down at his sandwich with no interest in eating it. If Tadashi was being completely honest, the last thing he wanted to do was eat, too sickened by the thought of Hiro walking into what he clearly saw as a trap. There was no way Krei wasn't going to be armed, but he was glad he at least got to be there and that he would at least be able to protect Hiro using Honey Lemon's chemicals.

Still, though. He was beyond uncomfortable.

He shrugged nonetheless, happily taking a bite of his little brother's sandwich and smiling at him.

 _Honestly, what's the worst thing that could happen?_

* * *

 **famous last words lol^^^^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**omg ByeFelicia you're so funny**

* * *

As Tadashi watched everyone in the garage gather their equipment and lay out their blueprints, the feeling of uneasiness he was sure would have evaporated the night before had only grown and gnawed at the corners of his mind uncontrollably. The questions flooded into his head one by one and each one made him feel sick inside. What if Krei pulled a gun on all of them the second they arrived? What if he didn't fall for the other's costumes and what if he was too rough with Hiro?

Tadashi swallowed hard, too shaken and confused to even answer his own thoughts.

The full plan was that Tadashi, Honey Lemon, and Abigail would attend the Krei Tech expedition museum event in disguises, just to make sure that Krei didn't pull a gun out or anything and to make sure that it was a clean exchange. It was a formal event with champagne and formal attire, so there shouldn't be any abuse toward Hiro of any kind. Hiro would walk in and surrender, a camera hidden on the button of his shirt. He would go downstairs to the basement and be returned to his cell. After being locked in, Hiro would send the footage on his button to Tadashi, who would send it to the police. They would go to Krei Tech, free Hiro, arrest Alistar, and Krei Tech would be shut down.

Although the others didn't seem to find any holes in their plan, Tadashi looked at the plan as if it were a sponge. Too many holes and too many ways to spill and ruin everything.

He sighed, reaching to grab his mug and gulping coffee. He would need as much caffeine as he could possibly get, and this had to be his fifth glass already.

"Tadashi, are you alright?" Hiro asked, setting something down and walking over to Tadashi in concern. "You look like you're going to be sick or something."

"I-I'm fine," Tadashi said in barely a whisper, and Hiro had to strain to listen.

"What-?"

"I said I'm fine, Hiro," Tadashi said sternly, walking around Hiro and helping Honey Lemon write something down on the map of Krei Tech. Hiro turned and tilted his head, his eyes trailing to the floor.

 _Something's not right._

Hiro shrugged nonetheless, pulling out his phone and dialing a number.

 _"Hello?"_

"Hey, Wasabi," Hiro said with a sigh. "Could we borrow your car today?"

 _"Uh, sure. Why?"_

"We'll explain later. Can you swing by at 5:30 and take us to Krei Tech?"

 _"Why the hell are you going to that place again? Isn't that place the whole reason you were gone for a whole month?"_

"Yeah, and I promise I'll explain. Thank you," Hiro pocketed his phone, rolling up the scrambled pieces of parchment and strapping them with rubber bands, preparing them to be loaded off in thirty minutes when Wasabi came. Tadashi and the others took note of what he was doing, following suit and gathering their equipment.

The thirty minutes flew by fast, too fast for Tadashi's liking. They were boarding into Wasabi's car as soon as he pulled up to the garage, and Hiro explained the plan to the man as the others got into their disguises.

Abigail put on green contacts and a pink wig with a blue hoodie and glasses. Honey Lemon slicked her hair back and put on a silver wig with wavy hair, blue contacts, and a yellow blouse. Tadashi wore a beanie and blue contact lenses, which Hiro couldn't help but laugh at.

"Dude, you look like a werewolf," Hiro snickered, earning an eye roll from his brother.

"Whatever. You look like a business man."

Hiro looked down at his clothes and laughed lightly. It was true, he had to return to his old clothing from back when he was held captive. Every day the same; a white button down, a navy blue tie, and black dress pants. He was never fond of it, but he had no choice this time, just like the other times. He had to bring himself and his family justice, and he had to make sure Krei wasn't getting off clean for forcing him into labor. Tadashi seemed to think the same, but he was dying to find an alternative. Another way to serve justice.

Tadashi laid his head back on his seat, letting out a long breath. He would rather be anywhere else but in this car and he would rather be on his way to SFIT than to Krei Tech.

* * *

When they parked, Hiro got out of the front seat and limped around to help the others out, breathing in the night air and turning toward the Krei Tech building where the event and party were only just starting. Tadashi glanced at the large Krei Tech building uncomfortably, and Hiro hardly missed the look before helping Honey and Abigail out.

"Alright, let's do this!" Honey Lemon grinned, walking toward the building and grabbing Tadashi by the hand to follow.

"If you guys need anything, don't hesitate to ask!" Wasabi called from behind the wheel. "You know I live close anyway, it won't be a problem."

"Thank you so much," Tadashi called. Hiro waved, looking at Wasabi fully aware it could be the last time he would see him. Hiro would never tell Tadashi, but Krei always had a weapon out when he was with him, and he wouldn't hesitate to shoot him in the head if he had to. Hiro shrugged, however, chuckling as Abigail jogged to catch up with everyone.

He would never forget them if this truly was his last time. Never.

Shaking his head, he finally caught up with everyone, pulling his phone out.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Hiro said, capturing everyone's attention. "Tadashi, you walk in and sit on the bench by the stairs of the foyer. Act civilian like."

"But I am a civilian-"

"Honey Lemon, you try and talk to the staff and ask questions about the tech you see. Abigail, don't talk to _anyone._ They might recognize your voice and they'll force you out. That, or Krei will get his hands on you."

"Got it," Abigail nodded. Honey Lemon smiled firmly at Hiro, turning back to the building.

"Your job is very simple; make sure that it's a clean 'prison' exchange," Hiro continues. "I'll get a recording to you as soon as possible, and I'll be out of this place as soon as noon tomorrow. This should be easy, yeah?"

The girls nodded. Tadashi frowned, stuffing his hands in his pockets and squinting his eyes shut as a headache overcame him. He hated this. He hated this whole plan with a burning passion, but it was apparently the only way. He obviously didn't believe that, though, and it gnawed at every part of his splitting head.

"Hey, Tadashi, hold back for a second," Hiro said, and Tadashi perked, walking beside Hiro as the girls chatted in front of them. "I know you don't like this and all, but I just want to thank you for helping me. I really want Krei behind bars so that he can't hurt anyone else, and I appreciate that you're helping me do this."

"Of course, Hiro," Tadashi assured him, putting a supportive hand on Hiro's shoulder. "The month I didn't have you with me hurt more than you'll ever know. I know you were actually probably hurting so much while you were here, being alone and hurt, but I want Krei to be gone just as much as you do. We'll catch him and you won't be so hurt ever again, I promise."

Hiro smiled lovingly at Tadashi, purely genuine. He ducked his head, and Tadashi barely missed Hiro wiping away a tear before he caught up with the girls and they were suddenly at the entrance.

"Okay, guys. Walk in one at a time. I'll go through the side entrance so it doesn't look too sketchy. Ready?"

"Ready!" they all said in unison, Abigail walking in first. Hiro nodded, making his way to said side entrance.

"Hiro! Wait!"

Hiro turned his head and gasped as Tadashi pulled him into a tight embrace, wrapping his protective arms around Hiro. Hiro slowly came to, letting out a light laugh and returning the hug.

"Everything is going to be okay," Tadashi said, and Hiro couldn't help but let out a strained sob. "Everything we've been beaten and bruised for is going to come to a clean end, and we're going to get you out of their as soon as we can. I promise."

"I know," Hiro said, pulling out of the hug and grinning warmly at Tadashi as his nose turned red and he wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "I know."

Tadashi looked on sympathetically, wiping Hiro's cheek with his thumb before slowly walking back and going into the building's front doors. Hiro took in a deep breath, turning the corner of the building and going through the side entrance.

Hiro took in his surroundings, sighing in relief to find that the others had gone exactly where he had told them. He looked around, spotting Krei having a conversation with a visitor. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of him, and he checked to make sure the camera on his button wasn't recording quite yet before making his way toward a nearby coffee station and starting himself a brew. Krei turned toward the sound of the coffee pot, eyes widening at the sight of the teenager and he politely dismissed his guest before making his way toward Hiro as briskly as he could.

"Hiro Hamada," Krei scoffed, leaning against the coffee station and crossing his arms. "You son of a bitch. What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Figured your business would crash if I wasn't here," Hiro said. "Came back. Thought I would attend your party before you locked me away forever."

"Oh, and why's that?" Krei asked.

"What? Do you want me to leave? Because I can, if that's what you want-"

"No!" Krei found himself shouting, capturing everyone's attention. Tadashi, Honey Lemon, and Abigail snapped their heads up toward Krei's booming voice, each person stiffening as they prepared for Krei to lash out. Krei waved his hand and looked around sheepishly, making everyone return to their conversation and bubbly drinks.

"Careful there, Alistar," Hiro said innocently, taking a sip of his coffee and looking around the foyer. He flipped the camera attached to his shirt on, smirking subtly. "Say, didn't I invent half of the attractions you've got set up at this party?"

"Oh, shut up," Krei said, grabbing Hiro by the arm. "You've got work to catch up on, and now that Abigail's gone, you're never getting away from me."

"Right," Hiro said, gasping as his hot coffee fell from his hand and crashed to the floor. Krei began walking Hiro slowly to the basement.

"I see you've got yourself a sling," Krei said, gesturing to Hiro's broken arm. "We'll have to work around that, but you'll be back to inventing in no time."

Hiro gulped, turning to Tadashi before they disappeared out of the room. His brother looked at him with a nod, dreadfully watching Krei drag Hiro away from him. Hiro turned back to Alistar as he cleared his throat.

"Actually Hiro, it's a funny story," Krei said as they descended the stairs of the building and underground. "We don't need you anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Hiro asked, confusion overcoming him.

"Well, some digging around in your notes, we realized that with our current brains in our labs and with your findings in your paper, we'll do just fine on our own. In fact, this company is back on its feet after a very long depression. Now, we're unstoppable."

"Then why the hell did I just walk all the way down here?" Hiro rolled his eyes, desperate to get out of this situation.

"Because now, we can't have teenagers like you ratting us out to the police. It's time for us to burn our bridges, and we're finally prepared to do it. So, Hiro, here we are."

Hiro stared, realizing they were now standing in front of Hiro's cell. Krei threw him in, and Hiro cried out as he landed on his broken arm. He stood and glared at Krei, watching in disgust as he slammed the door. Krei tuned into the intercom of Hiro's room, his laugh filling Hiro's ears.

"Hiro, we didn't tell you this, but we experimented on you during your stay with us," Krei started, and Hiro's breathing escalated. "It was your first week here. Remember how hot and sick you felt?" Hiro groaned as the horrible flashbacks of him lying on his cot flooded through his mind. He had been vomiting for several days, overcome with a strange heat. The heat, oddly enough, never went away. He only slowly became used to it. He never missed the strange looks on his nurse's faces when they checked his temperature at the hospital that week. "That's because we injected a serum into your veins. A special serum we've worked on for years. All we needed were you equations, which we got from you the first three days. We had everything but a test subject."

"What did you do to me?!" Hiro roared, hugging himself tightly with his only useful arm.

"Now, Hiro, it's time for us to fully activate the serum. To bring it to its full potential. To finally see just what beautiful monster we've created, and how it will respond to its true form."

"No, no, don't..." Hiro whimpered, terrified of just what Krei had done to him and what he might accidentally do with this serum inside of him.

"What we've given you is nothing short of a superpower, and it's time we tested it."

Suddenly, from the vents above Hiro's cell, a strange gas began to flood in, making Hiro cover his mouth in awe. It was a hot pink chemical, and it slowly swirled around before a fan was activated, sending it flying toward Hiro's direction. With no time to react, he found himself inhaling the cloud of color, choking on it seconds later. He coughed and sputtered, wrenching over.

"I'll be back, Hiro."

"N-no, wait-!"

More of the chemical was released, and Hiro didn't fight back anymore, allowing the burning heat to overcome him. His voice became more and more hoarse with each cough he gave out.

"T-Tadashi," he mumbled, rolling onto his back.

 _This was a REALLY bad idea..._

Hiro's eyes began filling with tears from overexposure to the chemicals, and he unclipped the camera from off of his shirt. He sat up and lifted the small, crumb-like camera up to his face.

"This is what I could get," Hiro said, coughing between each word. "Please get this to the police. As you can see, I've been held captive, exposed to harmful chemicals, and tossed to the ground. You must have heard Alistar Krei's talking as well, so please get this recording to the right hands and arrest this man. He is a criminal and he allowed me to be his slave for a whole month."

With that, Hiro tugged his lips in a reassuring smile before pressing a small switch on the side of the camera. Hearing a faint ding from the device, he knew the recording had successfully sent to Tadashi, and he let it tumble to the ground, knowing it was now useless.

"Now, Hiro," Krei said from above, Hiro tiredly lifting his eyes toward the speakers. "I don't know who you were talking to just now, but this chemical does warrant hallucinations. Anyways, your powers should be fully functional. Your job is to find out how to use them. Goodnight, and good luck."

Hiro groaned in frustration, looking down at his hands. He knew Tadashi would get him out in no time, so he may as well be trying to find out what his new abilities were.

Painfully, Hiro unclipped his sling, letting out a scream of pain as his broken arm fell to his side. He swallowed and closed his eyes as he tried to think he could go about this. What kind of powers were they? And were they harmful? All he knew was that Fred was going to be SO jealous.

He laughed to himself, simply thinking that maybe if he just flexed his hand out, his powers would work. So, with that thought in mind, he extended his arms painfully and flexed his palms and fingers.

He yelled in alarm as fire flew from his palms.

Again and again, he flexed his hands, and sprouts of fire flew out in front of him. Krei had given him fire powers. Hiro really had fire powers. He leaned his head against the wall, letting out a loud sigh. How would he ever explain this to Tadashi? Nobody would ever be safe in his presence again.

Hiro limply fell to his side, sleep holding him in a tight embrace until Tadashi would finally come and get him tomorrow.

* * *

Tadashi paced back and forth in the cafe garage. He had sent Honey Lemon and Abigail home to wait until Tadashi heard from Hiro, but he was starting to think that would never happen.

So, when his computer got a notification from an unknown contact, Tadashi was sprinting toward the desk, clicking frantically on the new message. He shouted in triumph at the sight of the video and quickly downloaded it onto a thumb drive before grabbing the keys to his moped. He would deliver the video to the police and he could even get Hiro back sometime early in the morning.

 _I'm coming, baby brother._

Tadashi hesitated as he stuffed the thumb drive into his pocket, looking back at the video on the computer screen.

 _It wouldn't hurt to watch it myself..._

Tadashi sighed, collapsing into his chair and pressing play on the video, eyes fixated on every little detail.

" _Say, didn't I invent half of the attractions you've got set up at this party?_ "

* * *

"DAMNIT!"

Hiro woke with a start at the sound of Krei's booming voice in his cell, and he sat bolt upright as Krei cursed continuously overhead.

"What?" Hiro called, coughing shortly after. "What's wrong?"

"You were CHIPPED!" the man roared, and Hiro's eyes widened as he realized the meaning behind his outrage. Tadashi must have sent the video to the police, and they were probably there to haul the man away. "I'm done with you, Hiro! DONE! You're going to die down here if it's the last thing I do!"

Hiro's stomach turned as the vents of the room were suddenly replaced with what looked like faucets, and Hiro bolted to the door of his cell.

"No, no, no! Alistar, don't do this! Don't leave me down here!"

"I'm done, Hiro. Goodbye."

"NO!"

Hiro yelped as water burst from the faucets and began to flood the cell. He pounded on the door and he heard Krei running away in the distance. The water reached Hiro, the nipping cold making him gasp and jump up from the ground. The water felt sub-zero, and Hiro knew he had to find a way out before he died for sure. To temporarily warm himself, he flexed his hands and let the flames touch his skin soothingly. He sighed in minimum relief, melting back down to the floor.

 _Maybe I should die here. It would be a long death, but I'd be gone and that would be a relief_

 _No,_ Hiro scolded himself, sitting up with a newfound desire to escape. The water had now reached his knees and he felt panic rise in his chest as he banged on the walls of the cell.

"HELP! Somebody, please help me out of here!"

"-here? No, over...maybe?...there!"

Hiro pressed his ear against the door, listening to the sounds of people on the other side. He gasped, hearing what sounded like Tadashi, Honey Lemon, and a police officer perhaps. Hiro slammed his fist on the door harder.

"Help! Help me! Tadashi!"

"-iro? Sir...over here!...ro! Hiro!"

Hiro heard banging from the other side of the door, and he let out a long sigh of relief as he heard Tadashi's voice calling his name.

"Hiro? Are you in there?!"

"Yes!" Hiro choked out. "Listen to me-"

"Oh, thank god! Sir! Ma'am! I found him! Hiro, I've got two police officers here with me and we're going to get you out, okay?"

"Tadashi, this room is filling with water," Hiro said. "It's up to my stomach, and it's freezing!"

"A-are you serious?" the female police officer said from the other side, touching around the door.

"Jesus," Tadashi said, leaning against the door. "Just-just don't panic, okay? We'll get you out and you won't drown, I promise."

"O-okay," Hiro said, sniffing and wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Okay, there's a green button on the side of the door. All you have to do is press it three times and the door should open."

"Alright, Hiro. There are a lot of buttons over here, so we're gonna try and find the right one. You just hang tight, okay?"

"Please hurry, I'm swimming," Hiro said, his voice shaky from the cold.

Tadashi cursed under his breath, moving to the panel beside the door and quickly locating the green button.

"Tadashi! I'm going under! I-"

Tadashi's eyes widened as Hiro's talking quickly ended, and he knew Hiro was now underwater.

"Everybody stand back!" Tadashi yelled, pressing the green button and running to the side as water flooded into the hallway from Hiro's cell. As the water flooded, Hiro flew out of the room and into the hallway ahead, slamming into the wall and falling to his back. He looked up limply to see Krei struggling to stand from the oncoming water, and he stood and raced for the stairs.

"HEY!" Hiro shouted, running up after Krei and pulling him down by his suit, making him splash into the water below. The power suddenly went out, and Hiro faintly heard Tadashi screaming his name from down the hall. He paid him no mind, however, as white hot rage flooded his mind and he was sprouting fire at Krei. Krei ran from Hiro's wrath, but Hiro had already set the walls of the basement on fire. Hiro looked at Krei one last time before running to Tadashi, knowing Krei would find his way out and get arrested one way or another. Tadashi gaped at Hiro's flaming hands, unsure of what to say.

" _Dude-"_

"LATER!" Hiro roared, gesturing for Tadashi to follow him out of the basement and up the stairs, something the police officers had seemed to have already done.

* * *

 **sorry for the wait i worked at a church retreat for middle schoolers which sucked because they just talked about fidget spinners and donald trump (two things i HATE)**


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